Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, Cropped by Resist the Mainstream

President Joe Biden responded to criticism coming from his decision to mark March 31 as “Transgender Day of Visibility,” which coincides with Easter Sunday this year, with the White House standing by the president’s remarks in a new statement. 

White House spokesman Andrew Bates released a statement saying those critical of Biden’s inclusiveness message are trying to further divide the country.

“As a Christian who celebrates Easter with family, President Biden stands for bringing people together and upholding the dignity and freedoms of every American,” Bates said in a statement. “Sadly, it’s unsurprising politicians are seeking to divide and weaken our country with cruel, hateful and dishonest rhetoric. President Biden will never abuse his faith for political purposes or for profit.”

The White House first issued a statement on the matter on Saturday, writing, “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.”

“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,” it 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.”

While Transgender Day of Visibility has been celebrated on March 31 internationally since 2009, this year the day falls on Easter Sunday, the day that marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ in the Christian faith, and one of the most important days in the church year.

Many prominent Christians and conservatives unleashed on Biden and his administration for the statement. Former President Donald Trump was among the most notable, calling for an immediate apology to millions of Christians and Catholics. Biden’s proclamation was described as yet another example of the Biden administration’s “years-long assault on the Christian faith.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) accused the Biden administration of betraying what Easter Sunday stands for after the White House also banned religious egg designs in its Easter Art Event, which, like the annual Easter Egg Roll, is part of the White House’s Easter traditions.

“The Biden White House has betrayed the central tenet of Easter — which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” Johnson posted 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.”

“President Biden has declared tomorrow—Easter Sunday—as ‘Transgender Day of Visibility.’ This once again shows how little respect President Biden and his administration have for God,” wrote Franklin Graham, an Evangelist and the son of the late Billy Graham. “On the most significant day of the Christian calendar, when the Church around the world celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ who died and shed His blood for the sins of mankind, the Biden administration uses this opportunity to flaunt sin, to glorify sin, and to celebrate sin. The Bible says, ‘…they proclaim their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them!’ (Isaiah 3:9). Judgment is coming. Instead of celebrating sin, we need to confess our sins, repent of our sins, and ask for God’s forgiveness.”