President Joe Biden reportedly denied declaring Easter Sunday the “Transgender Day of Visibility,” despite issuing a proclamation on Good Friday, which stated in part, “I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility.” March 31 is Easter Sunday this year.
Each year of his presidency, Biden has issued a proclamation about Transgender Visibility Day. Ever since the day was instituted 15 years ago, the day has been observed on March 31.
This year, Biden’s proclamation was issued on Good Friday, a sacred day for Christians. It announced that March 31, 2024–which is Easter Sunday–is “Transgender Day of Visibility.”
RealClearPolitics reporter Philip Melanchthon Wegmann detailed the Q&A of Biden’s denial on Monday. According to Wegmann, Biden said, “I didn’t do that” and claimed that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who criticized Biden for making the proclamation, is “thoroughly uninformed”:
The proclamation reads in part, “On Transgender Day of Visibility, we honor the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans and reaffirm our Nation’s commitment to forming a more perfect Union — where all people are created equal and treated equally throughout their lives.” Further, it reads as a message written by Biden, with the frequent use of “I” and “my Administration”:
I am proud that my Administration has stood for justice from the start, working to ensure that the LGBTQI+ community can live openly, in safety, with dignity and respect. I am proud to have appointed transgender leaders to my Administration and to have ended the ban on transgender Americans serving openly in our military. I am proud to have signed historic Executive Orders that strengthen civil rights protections in housing, employment, health care, education, the justice system, and more. I am proud to have signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law, ensuring that every American can marry the person they love.
“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,” the proclamation reads before it is made clear that Biden declared March 31, Easter Sunday, as Transgender Day of Visibility [emphasis added]:
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2024, as 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.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reportedly deemed the Transgender Day of Visibility story misinformation, stating that Easter “happened to coincide with Transgender Visibility Day.”
Countless leftists joined in on social media on Easter Sunday to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility:
Upon hearing about the declaration, Speaker Mike Johnson, who Biden apparently believes is “thoroughly uninformed,” said, “The Biden White House has betrayed the central tenet of Easter — which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
“Banning sacred truth and tradition—while at the same time proclaiming Easter Sunday as ‘Transgender Day’—is outrageous and abhorrent,” he said. “The American people are taking note”: