WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is facing criticism from Donald Trump’s campaign and religious conservatives for declaring March 31 — which corresponds to Easter Sunday this year — as “Transgender Day of Visibility.”
The Democratic president issued the proclamation Friday, calling on “all Americans to join us in uplifting the lives and voices of transgender people across our country and working to eliminate violence and discrimination based on gender identity.”
But in 2024, the March 31 designation overlaps with Easter, one of Christianity’s holiest celebrations. Trump’s campaign accused Biden, a Roman Catholic, of being insensitive to religion, and fellow Republicans piled on.
“We call on Joe Biden’s failing campaign and the White House to apologize to the millions of Catholics and Christians across America who believe that tomorrow is but one celebration: the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” said Karoline Leavitt, press secretary of the Trump campaign. She attacked what she called the Biden administration’s “years-long assault on the Christian faith.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said on social media that “the Biden White House has betrayed the central principle of Easter” and called the decision “outrageous and abhorrent.”
Biden devoutly attends Mass and views his Catholic upbringing as a core part of his morality and identity. In 2021, he met with Pope Francis at the Vatican and told reporters afterward that the pope said he was a “good Catholic” who should continue to receive communion.
But Biden’s policy positions on gay marriage and support for women having the right to abortion have put him at odds with many conservative Christians.