Trump asks Biden to apologize for proclaiming Easter Sunday as 'Transgender Day of Visibility'
Joe Biden declared March 31, 2024, which falls on Easter Sunday, "Transgender Visibility Day," prompting an outcry from conservatives and scathing criticism from former President Donald Trump, who demanded that the president apologize to the millions of Christians living in the United States.
"Today, we're sending a message to all transgender Americans... You are America, and my entire administration and I stand with you," Biden said on March 29, while praising the appointment of "transgender leaders" to his administration and ending the ban on transgender people serving as transgender people in the U.S. military.
Calling transgender people "an integral part of the fabric of our nation," who contribute to the prosperity of the country and its economy, the president touted his administration's efforts to make public services more accessible to transgenders, including "more inclusive passports" that now feature an X as a marker of "gender" or masculine nor feminine.
"There is still much work to be done," said Biden, who also urged Congress to pass his administration's proposed Equality Act "to codify civil rights protections for all LGBTQI+." The U.S. president then officially declared Easter Sunday "Transgender Visibility Day."
The move sparked a wave of criticism among conservatives, including from Trump's campaign team, which also criticized the fact that, during an Easter egg design contest hosted by the White House, the White House banned children from drawing religious symbols or "overtly religious themes."
"It is appalling and insulting that the Biden White House has banned children from submitting religious egg drawings for their Easter drawing contest, and has officially proclaimed Easter Sunday as 'Trans Day of Visibility,'" Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the Trump campaign, said in a statement.
"Sadly, these are just two more examples of the Biden administration's years-long attacks on the Christian faith. We call on Joe Biden's flagging campaign team and the White House to apologize to the millions of American Catholics and Christians for whom this Sunday is dedicated to a single celebration, that of the resurrection of Jesus Christ," she added.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
"Easter Sunday is replaced"
Most of the criticism targets the fact that this March 31, 2024 falls on Easter Sunday, which is one of the most important holidays for Christians.
"Easter Sunday is replaced," actor and producer Kevin Sorbo, who has 1.9 million followers on X, said in a post. Our "Catholic" president has banned religious imagery from the White House and now calls Easter Sunday "Transgender Visibility Day."
« Ce sont des tyrans, tous autant qu’ils sont », a ajouté M. Sorbo, dont les messages sur la plateforme sont souvent critiques à l’égard des politiques de l’administration Biden et, plus généralement, à l’égard des idées et propositions d’extrême gauche.
Harmeet K. Dhillon, a lawyer specializing in electoral law issues, posted a message on X in which she denounced the lack of consideration of the Biden team.
"Deliberately insulting Christians on this holy weekend is repugnant and pernicious," she added.
Another Republican, Joshua Schriver, wrote, "We do not intend to celebrate sexual deviance and self-harm. We will celebrate the resurrection of our King, Jesus Christ, who died and rose from the dead to give ALL of us the opportunity to repent of our sins and believe in Him. »
"Where is the empathy for Christians on this most important day of remembrance?"
Some media outlets have tried to temper these negative reactions by explaining that this proclamation was probably a coincidence, as March 31 falls this year on Easter Sunday, which is not always the case.
Indeed, Joe Biden issued similar proclamations in 2021, 2022, and 2023, with March 31 falling on a Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, respectively.
Context
The Biden administration has previously hinted that March 31 could be considered a good date for "Transgender Day of Visibility," but this is the first time the president has used the authority granted to him by the U.S. Constitution to officially declare it.
In some circles, March 31 has been celebrated for more than a decade as "International Transgender Day of Visibility."
According to left-leaning media outlet NPR, the day was created 15 years ago by Rachel Crandall-Crocker, a man who identifies as a woman and executive director of Transgender Michigan, a transgender advocacy group.
Initially, the idea met with little success, but with the help of Susan Crocker, his wife and director of operations for Transgender Michigan, the phenomenon spread, according to NPR.
In recent years, transgenderism has become an important issue in the social and political landscape of the United States. Left-leaners tend to support "gender-affirming care" laws that, in some cases, prevent parents from having a say in their children's decision to undergo sex reassignment surgeries and other risky medical procedures.
Conservatives, on the other hand, support laws that give parents more power to prevent their children from undergoing transgender procedures or impose penalties on doctors who perform them without parental consent.
"Today, we're sending a message to all transgender Americans... You are America, and my entire administration and I stand with you," Biden said on March 29, while praising the appointment of "transgender leaders" to his administration and ending the ban on transgender people serving as transgender people in the U.S. military.
Calling transgender people "an integral part of the fabric of our nation," who contribute to the prosperity of the country and its economy, the president touted his administration's efforts to make public services more accessible to transgenders, including "more inclusive passports" that now feature an X as a marker of "gender" or masculine nor feminine.
"There is still much work to be done," said Biden, who also urged Congress to pass his administration's proposed Equality Act "to codify civil rights protections for all LGBTQI+." The U.S. president then officially declared Easter Sunday "Transgender Visibility Day."
The move sparked a wave of criticism among conservatives, including from Trump's campaign team, which also criticized the fact that, during an Easter egg design contest hosted by the White House, the White House banned children from drawing religious symbols or "overtly religious themes."
"It is appalling and insulting that the Biden White House has banned children from submitting religious egg drawings for their Easter drawing contest, and has officially proclaimed Easter Sunday as 'Trans Day of Visibility,'" Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the Trump campaign, said in a statement.
"Sadly, these are just two more examples of the Biden administration's years-long attacks on the Christian faith. We call on Joe Biden's flagging campaign team and the White House to apologize to the millions of American Catholics and Christians for whom this Sunday is dedicated to a single celebration, that of the resurrection of Jesus Christ," she added.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
"Easter Sunday is replaced"
Most of the criticism targets the fact that this March 31, 2024 falls on Easter Sunday, which is one of the most important holidays for Christians.
"Easter Sunday is replaced," actor and producer Kevin Sorbo, who has 1.9 million followers on X, said in a post. Our "Catholic" president has banned religious imagery from the White House and now calls Easter Sunday "Transgender Visibility Day."
« Ce sont des tyrans, tous autant qu’ils sont », a ajouté M. Sorbo, dont les messages sur la plateforme sont souvent critiques à l’égard des politiques de l’administration Biden et, plus généralement, à l’égard des idées et propositions d’extrême gauche.
Harmeet K. Dhillon, a lawyer specializing in electoral law issues, posted a message on X in which she denounced the lack of consideration of the Biden team.
"Deliberately insulting Christians on this holy weekend is repugnant and pernicious," she added.
Another Republican, Joshua Schriver, wrote, "We do not intend to celebrate sexual deviance and self-harm. We will celebrate the resurrection of our King, Jesus Christ, who died and rose from the dead to give ALL of us the opportunity to repent of our sins and believe in Him. »
"Where is the empathy for Christians on this most important day of remembrance?"
Some media outlets have tried to temper these negative reactions by explaining that this proclamation was probably a coincidence, as March 31 falls this year on Easter Sunday, which is not always the case.
Indeed, Joe Biden issued similar proclamations in 2021, 2022, and 2023, with March 31 falling on a Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, respectively.
Context
The Biden administration has previously hinted that March 31 could be considered a good date for "Transgender Day of Visibility," but this is the first time the president has used the authority granted to him by the U.S. Constitution to officially declare it.
In some circles, March 31 has been celebrated for more than a decade as "International Transgender Day of Visibility."
According to left-leaning media outlet NPR, the day was created 15 years ago by Rachel Crandall-Crocker, a man who identifies as a woman and executive director of Transgender Michigan, a transgender advocacy group.
Initially, the idea met with little success, but with the help of Susan Crocker, his wife and director of operations for Transgender Michigan, the phenomenon spread, according to NPR.
In recent years, transgenderism has become an important issue in the social and political landscape of the United States. Left-leaners tend to support "gender-affirming care" laws that, in some cases, prevent parents from having a say in their children's decision to undergo sex reassignment surgeries and other risky medical procedures.
Conservatives, on the other hand, support laws that give parents more power to prevent their children from undergoing transgender procedures or impose penalties on doctors who perform them without parental consent.