Coincidentally, Easter and the Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) fell on the same day this year — so Republicans held President Joe Biden responsible.
Former President Donald Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt demanded an apology from Joe Biden’s White House for the millions of Catholics and Christians in America who believe that Easter Sunday is exclusively for celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Biden issued a TDOV proclamation last Friday, but he didn’t decide TDOV and Easter’s coinciding dates; the TDOV always falls on March 31, and Easter’s date changes annually. Easter, in Western Christianity, occurs on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox, which means that it can fall between March 22 and April 25 any given year.
“The Biden White House has betrayed the central tenet of Easter — which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) wrote on X. “Banning sacred truth and tradition—while at the same time proclaiming Easter Sunday as ‘Transgender Day’—is outrageous and abhorrent. The American people are taking note.”
Johnson’s tweet included screenshots from two misleading news stories: one accused Biden of “proclaiming” Easter as TDOV, and the other said he banned religious art from the White House’s annual Egg Roll event. Fox News pushed this latter claim even though the Fox network commemorated the TDOV in 2021.
In reality, there is a rule that prohibits religious egg designs at the White House event that has been in place since 1978, including during Trump’s tenure.
Trump’s spokesperson also repeated the same lies as Johnson, and so did other Republicans.
“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,’” Trump’s press secretary wrote.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) wrote, “President Biden has declared that Easter Sunday is now Transgender Day. This is an intentional attempt to insult and mock Christians across America. Shocking — but not surprising. In Mississippi, we will proudly celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of sinners.”
Fellow Trump-devotee Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) wrote, “Joe Biden declares that Easter Sunday is transgender visibility day while he bans Christian symbols from the White House Easter egg roll. Disgraceful. Easter will forever be the celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection.”
However, LGBTQ+ individuals pushed back on the Republican’s lies.
“Republican bad faith attacks on President Biden commemorating Transgender Day of Visibility are exactly that: bad faith. Part of an ongoing effort to bully, harass, demean, and demagogue trans Americans for simply trying to live their lives,” wrote Matt McDermott, board member of the Victory Fund, an organization which supports LGBTQ+ political candidates nationwide.
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates called out their lies, writing in a statement to Politico, “Politicians are trying to divide and weaken the country with cruel, hateful, and dishonest words. President Biden will never misuse his faith for politics or profit.”
“Are you really blaming Biden that #TransDayOfVisibility falls on Easter this year, Trump Campaign?” the Human Rights Campaign wrote. “Not only would Trump’s policies set us back in time – apparently he also doesn’t know how the calendar works. 🙄 Trump’s hate and bigotry won’t make us less visible.”
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), the first gay immigrant U.S. congressman, wrote, “Donald Trump and the extreme right’s attack on the trans community this weekend is sick and cruel.”
Garcia continued, “We can all celebrate Easter and Jesus's teachings by showing kindness, compassion, and loving our neighbors – and yes, that includes trans people and families.”
The theme of this year’s White House Easter Egg Roll was “EGGucation,” highlighting First Lady Jill Biden’s belief that, with education, “all students can soar.” An estimated 40,000 attendees enjoyed the event and took part in various educational and traditional activities, including a farm-themed field trip area, a reading nook, a physical “EGGucation” zone, a “Snack Time” tent, and more.
