On Friday (March 29), President Joe Biden declared March 31 Transgender Day of Visibility.
He reaffirmed his government’s commitment to transgender rights in a powerful affirmation that read:
“On Transgender Day of Awareness, we recognize the remarkable confidence and contributions of trans Americans and reiterate our government’s commitment to creating a more perfect Union where all people are created equal and treated similarly throughout their lives.
Transgender Americans are a fundamental component of our society. Whether serving their communities or in defense, raising families or running businesses, they help America thrive.
“They deserve, and are entitled to, the equal rights and freedoms as every other American, including the most essential freedom to be their true self.”
The statement went on to condemn, in the strongest terms, the deeds of “extremists” who are “proposing lots of hateful legislation that target and terrorize trans kids and their families,” adding that “these bills attack our most basic American values: the flexibility to be yourself, the freedom to make your own healthcare decisions, and even the right to raise your own baby.”
The proclamation also made reference to the rise in transgender youth suicide rates and the “epidemic of violence against transgender women and girls, especially women and girls of color,” saying that “every single attack is un-American and must end.”
In response to groups including neo-Nazis’ efforts to “wage war on democracy,” a worrying 2023 report previously predicted that hate crimes would likely rise during the presidential election campaign in 2024.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCEF), a civil rights organization, conducted the study, which looked at FBI hate crime data from the past 15 years.
Between 2020 and 2021, reported hate crimes based on gender identity increased by nearly 30%, with a 15% increase in those involving transgender people.
A “small number of well-funded and well-organized proponents of bigotry and hate are having an outsized effect in relation to their actual numbers” was also highlighted in the LCEF report, which succeeded in turning “hate into campaign platforms.”
Yesterday (March 29), civil rights group the Southern Poverty Law Center added Libs of TikTok founder Chaya Raichik to their hate watchlist, describing her as an “anti-LGBTQ+ extremist.”
The account has gained notoriety for its propagation of false information about LGBTQ+ people, particularly LGBTQ+ minors. Its tweets have also been accused of sparking right-wing hate and harassment campaigns against teachers, medical professionals, schools, and even White House staff.
Following resentment from right-wing anti-LGBT+ critics about the fact that Transgender Day of Visibility this year falls on Easter Sunday, Joe Biden’s official proclamation that March 31 is Trans Day of Visibility comes as a result.
No one has “decided” to hold Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter Sunday; this is a moving feast day that can occur on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25.
In Northern Virginia, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted (9-0) to proclaim their support for Transgender Day of Visibility and were accused of “hijacking Easter.”
President Biden’s proclamation ends: “Today, we send a message to all transgender Americans: You are loved. You are heard. You are understood. You belong. You are America, and my entire Administration and I have your back.”
