CNN
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Republicans have targeted President Joe Biden for declaring Easter Sunday as Transgender Day of Visibility, although the two days coincided coincidentally this year.
Transgender Day, launched in 2009 as an awareness day to celebrate the successes of transgender and non-transgender people, is observed annually on March 31.
But many Republicans seized on Biden's announcement to attack the president.
Former President Donald Trump's campaign said in a statement that “Joe Biden's White House … has formally declared Easter Sunday a 'Trans Day of Visibility.'
House Speaker Mike Johnson said the Biden administration “betrayed Easter's central doctrine.” Post on X. “The American people are paying attention.”
“As a Christian who celebrates Easter with his family, President Biden brings people together and upholds the dignity and freedom of every American,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement Saturday.
“Unfortunately, politicians seek to divide and weaken our country with cruel, hateful and dishonest rhetoric. “President Biden will never abuse his trust for political gain or gain,” Bates said.
In This year's Presidential ProclamationBiden said Transgender Day of Visibility honors the “extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans.”
“Transgender Americans are part of the fabric of our nation,” the proclamation said, “and they deserve the same rights and freedoms as every American to whom they are entitled, including the basic freedom to be their true selves.”
While touting his administration's work to advance transgender rights, such as lifting the transgender military ban, the president slammed Republican-led efforts to limit protections for trans Americans, describing them as “bullying and discriminatory.”
Biden issued the first such presidential proclamation to recognize Transgender Day of Visibility in 2021, and has issued a proclamation each year since.
The national debate over transgender rights has grown increasingly contentious, with Republican lawmakers at the state and federal level calling for a variety of tougher laws, including gender-affirming care for minors and banning transgender athletes from competing on sports teams. Gender identity.
Presumptive GOP nominee Trump has made the issue a talking point. is reassuring “Men should be banned from participating in women's sports.” Several states have already enacted such a ban and expanded other anti-LGBTQ initiatives.
This story has been updated with additional information.
