Controversy Erupts as Biden Declares Easter Sunday "Transgender Day of Visibility"

What Happened?

The Transgender Day of Visibility is an annual event celebrated on March 31 since 2009.
Easter Sunday falls on a different date each year, and in 2024 it coincides with March 31.
Biden has issued a proclamation recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility every year since taking office.

What the Conservative Media is Saying:

Biden declared Easter Sunday, the most holy of Christian holidays, as “Transgender Day of Visibility”. [infowars.com]
Biden’s proclamation was met with backlash online as social media users criticized the Catholic president for disrespecting Christians. [dailycaller.com, washingtonexaminer.com, breitbart.com, townhall.com]
The Trump campaign called the pair of actions “appalling and insulting” and called on Biden to issue an apology to the millions of Catholics and Christians across America. [washingtonexaminer.com, foxnews.com]
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) claimed that Biden had “betrayed the central tenet of Easter” with his proclamation. [washingtonexaminer.com, breitbart.com, townhall.com]
The Biden Administration’s actions are seen as an assault on the Christian faith by the American people. [townhall.com]

What the Center Media is Saying:

Biden’s proclamation calls on “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”. [apnews.com]
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said the Republicans criticizing Biden “are seeking to divide and weaken our country with cruel, hateful and dishonest rhetoric”. [apnews.com, newsweek.com, thehill.com]
Bates said “President Biden will never abuse his faith for political purposes or for profit”. [apnews.com, newsweek.com]
Biden devoutly attends Mass and considers his Catholic upbringing to be a core part of his morality and identity. [apnews.com]
Biden’s social media post, who is a Catholic and had posted an Easter message hours earlier, was met with swift criticism, amassing more than 14,000 comments in a few hours. [newsweek.com]

What the Liberal Media is Saying:

Republicans are taking aim at President Joe Biden for proclaiming Easter Sunday as the Transgender Day of Visibility, though the two days only coincided this year by chance. [cnn.com, theguardian.com]
Biden slammed Republican-led efforts to curb protections for trans Americans, describing them as “bullying and discrimination.” [cnn.com]
Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia said the Republican response marks “just one more instance of folks who do not know how to lead us trying to divide us.” [cnn.com]
Biden, a devout Catholic, speaks often about his faith and attends church every weekend. He is the second Catholic to be U.S. president. [washingtonpost.com, latimes.com, theguardian.com]

Contested Claims:
None.

Sources:

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Controversy Erupts as Biden Declares Easter Sunday “Transgender Day of Visibility”