Donald Trump’s plan and spiritual conservatives are criticizing President Joe Biden for designating March 31 as “Transgender Day of Visibility,” which coincides with Easter Sunday this year.
The Democrat leader issued the declaration on Friday, urging “all Americans to join us in lifting up the lives and voices of transgender persons throughout our nation and work toward ending violence and discrimination based on gender identity.”
Biden became the first president to declare a formal recognition of the March 31 event, which originally took place in 2009.
But in 2024, the March 31 date overlaps with Easter, one of Christianity’s holiest observances. Trump’s plan accused Biden, a Roman Catholic, of being indifferent to the church, and fellow Republicans piled on.
The press secretary for the Trump campaign, Karoline Leavitt, said, “We call on Joe Biden’s failing administration and White House to issue an apology to the millions of Christians and Catholics across America for whom Easter Sunday is simply about one thing: the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” She criticized what she called the Biden administration’s “years-long assault on the Christian faith.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said on social media that the “Biden White House has disregarded the central tenet of Easter” and called the decision “outrageous and appalling.”
Republicans in Missouri also chimed in. Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, and a gubernatorial candidate, said, “Attempting to rename Resurrection Sunday as ‘Transgender Visibility Day’ is a direct assault on Christianity.” Rep. Justin Sparks, R-Wildwood, wrote on X, “Easter Sunday is the day Jesus Christ rose from the dead and triumphed over the tomb. Joe Biden has made it all about Transgenderism.” Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, also a gubernatorial candidate, said, “Joe Biden has stripped away all the sacred traditions of this Holy Day and is instead turning it into a moment about leftism. We need a new President. Pray for America.”
According to White House spokesman Andrew Bates, Republicans who criticize Biden “are trying to divide and weaken our country with violent, cruel, and unscrupulous rhetoric.”
President Biden, a devout Christian who celebrates Easter with his family, “stands for lifting people up and upholding the dignity and rights of every American,” according to Bates. President Biden pledges not to exploit his faith for political gain.
Biden reveres his Catholic upbringing as a central part of his conscience and identity and regularly attends Mass. He met with Pope Francis at the Vatican in 2021, and he later told reporters that the pope called him a “good Catholic” who should continue to receive Communion.
However, some traditional Christians disagree with Biden because of his political stances on gay marriage and support for women’s right to abortion.
The Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
During a Missouri House hearing on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, journalist Jamie Reed, who previously worked at a Washington University center for transgender youth, discusses policy on transgender healthcare issues and other topics. Video provided by the House, edited by Beth O’Malley.
During a Missouri House hearing on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, PROMO Executive Director Katy Erker-Lynch discusses regulations on transgender healthcare issues and other topics. Video provided by the House, edited by Beth O’Malley.
