“It is appalling and insulting that Joe Biden’s White House prohibited children from submitting religious egg designs for their Easter Art Event, and formally proclaimed Easter Sunday as ‘Trans Day of Visibility,’” said a statement issued Saturday by Karoline Leavitt National Press Secretary for former President Donald Trump.
President Biden issued a proclamation Friday declaring Sunday (March 31) Transgender Day of Visibility.
“I call upon all Americans to join us in lifting up the lives and voices of transgender people throughout our Nation and to work toward eliminating violence and discrimination based on gender identity,” he said.
According to GLAAD, Transgender Day of Visibility has been celebrated each year on March 31 since it was created in 2010 by trans advocate Rachel Crandall. It said she created the day of recognition in “response to the overwhelming majority of media stories about transgender people being focused on violence.”
This year, the TDOV happened to fall on Easter Sunday, an important holiday for Christians.
“Transgender Americans are part of the fabric of our Nation,” said Biden’s proclamation. “Whether serving their communities or in the military, raising families or running businesses, they help America thrive. They deserve, and are entitled to, the same rights and freedoms as every other American, including the most fundamental freedom to be their true selves.”
However, he noted that anti-transgender laws have been proposed in the U.S. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, that includes 479 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced across state legislatures this year alone.
“These bills attack our most basic American values: the freedom to be yourself, the freedom to make your own health care decisions, and even the right to raise your own child,” said Biden.
Violence against transgender people was also declared an epidemic by the American Medical Association since 2019,
“It is no surprise that the bullying and discrimination that transgender Americans face is worsening our Nation’s mental health crisis, leading half of transgender youth to consider suicide in the past year,” said the proclamation. “At the same time, an epidemic of violence against transgender women and girls, especially women and girls of color, continues to take too many lives. Let me be clear: All of these attacks are un-American and must end. No one should have to be brave just to be themselves.”
Trump’s camp argued that Biden’s proclamation was part of a “years-long assault on the Christian faith,” by the Biden administration. “We call on Joe Biden’s failing campaign and White House to issue an apology to the millions of Catholics and Christians across America who believe tomorrow is for one celebration only – the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” said Leavitt.
Biden is a Catholic, and mentioned growing up with Catholic teachings this month during a St. Patrick’s Day event. However, he has disagreed with the church in the past. In February, Biden said he didn’t agree with the church’s position against In Vitro Fertilization.