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The second annual Translatable Ball may have been a masquerade, but host and Translatable Project cofounder Zaya Wade says that visibility was the goal of the night.
“I hope [guests] understand that even though this is a masquerade, we are not meant to be hidden; we are meant to be seen,” the model and activist tells Teen Vogue. “You can do whatever you want, you can express whatever you want, you can be whoever you want, and there’s no judgment.”
The annual event, which took place on May 30 at The Mayan in Los Angeles, also doubled as a birthday celebration for Wade, who turned 19 on May 29.
The event celebrates ballroom culture and, Wade stresses, the importance of community: "It’s [all] about finding your people. You have to,” she says. “If it [feels] scary or hard or it feels like there’s no one there, that’s what [organizations] like Translatable and all these trans organizations are for—to help you understand that there are people around who are there for you, people who are in your corner.”
Wade’s father, NBA superstar Dwyane Wade, and stepmom, actor Gabrielle Union, were in attendance to support their daughter. “I want everyone to leave feeling peaceful, that they came and had a great time," Union tells Teen Vogue. "Nobody needs to regulate their nervous system, because it has been regulated.”
“I want everyone to leave here feeling an expansion in their life,” Dwyane adds. “Hopefully, everyone comes in and lets out their creativity, their humor, all the feelings, all of the emotions, and they walk out feeling fuller than they did when they walked in. I want them to feel expansion.”
Sponsored by H&M, CANN, and FWRD, the event also served as a fundraiser to bring in funds for various trans nonprofit organizations such as the Translatable Project and the Trans Wellness Center. Guests included community members, activists, and creatives in support of Wade’s advocacy.
“There’s so many different things that influence culture," Wade says. "I think connection, community, fashion, art, music—all of these things kind of pour into community and understanding that different queer voices and queer artists can shape these events and make these things happen.”
Union shares the same sentiment. “Queer culture, especially Black queer culture, leads everything. Everybody else follows the trends that they set,” she says.
Wade’s family has been her biggest support system since she shared her truth as a transgender woman; together, the father-daughter duo cofounded Translatable, a nonprofit organization that offers a safe space and resource hub for LGBTQIA+ youth and their families. “We wanted to create a space where people felt seen, felt celebrated,” Dwyane shared during his opening remarks at the event. “A place where creativity and individuality and community all exist in the same room.”
Wade was also part of GLAAD’s 20 Under 20 class of 2025 for her commitment to trans advocacy and creating a safe space for trans youth.
Even with all of her accomplishments, Wade has one message for her younger self: “Just that you’ll get there. I went through experiences, some good, some bad, and I think that they all shaped who I am today. I don’t think I regret any of them.”
