Trump and Republicans unite in fury at Biden after Trans Visibility Day falls on Easter Sunday by chance

Conservatives continue to insist that Christianity is under ‘assault’ by Biden administration

Republicans, led by Donald Trump, are sounding off on Joe Biden after he issued a statement recognising Trans Visibility Day becasue it happened to coincide with Easter Sunday this year.

Created by a Michigan-based transgender activist, Rachel Crandall, in 2009, International Transgender Day of Visibility (often shortened to Trans Visibility Day) falls on March 31 every year. In 2024, that date coincidentally falls on Easter Sunday, which is determined annually by marking the first Sunday after the full moon occurring on or after the Spring Equinox.

President Joe Biden marked the push for transgender rights with a statement recognising Trans Visibility Day on Friday that immediately set off alarm bells on the far right.

“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,” said the president

He added: “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. “

Mr Biden would go on in the statement to tout his administration’s ending of the ban on military service for Americans who have undergone gender-affirming therapy and the appointment of transgender Americans to top leadership roles.

It was a statement that would have likely infuriated the modern right wing anyway, even without the coincidence involving Easter. But that factor added a religious bent to the fury that conservatives displayed on social media over the weekend.

Karoline Leavitt, a press secretary for Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, demanded that the president apologise to Christians in a statement which accused Mr Biden (falsely) of “declaring” the annual event would occur on Easter.

“It is appalling and insulting that Joe Biden’s White House ... formally proclaimed Easter Sunday as ‘Trans Day of Visibility,’” she said.

“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.”

Others, such as Trump loyalists senators Mike Lee and JD Vance chimed in on Twitter.

The random matchup of Trans Visibility Day with a Christian holiday comes at a politically charged time for transgender rights, which are facing rollbacks in some conservative states around the country. States including Louisiana and Ohio have moved in recent weeks to ban gender-affirming care for minors.