The athlete has now come out and said that Zaya internally identified as transgender as young as 3 years old. Wade and his family appear to have uncritically accepted that a pre-teen can have completely figured out his or her gender, sexuality, and identity, all before even entering high school. This is irresponsible. It’s also harmful to the acceptance of gay and transgender people more broadly.

By touting the idea that a literal 3-year-old can be “transgender,” Wade and those liberal media outlets worshiping him for it are tying hard-fought acceptance of the gay and transgender communities to an outlandish, harmful, and radical position.

The publicity seems harmful enough on its own, given that it irrevocably commits a 12-year-old to something a pre-teen is probably in no position to decide on a permanent basis. But worst of all, the approach Wade and his family appear to have taken is to defer to the expertise … of a child.