April 1, 2024
Sen. Raphael Warnock Blasts Republicans Criticism Of Transgender Visibility Day Falling On Easter
Sen. Raphael Warnock is calling out Republicans who are upset about Biden declaring 'transgender day of visibility,' on Easter Sunday.
Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock is calling out Republicans who are upset about President Joe Biden declaring March 31st as the official ‘transgender day of visibility,’ since it fell on Easter Sunday.
Warnock appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday where he blasted Republicans like House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for seemingly trying to “divide” the country, Daily Mail reports. According to Warnock, conservatives like Johnson “think trans people are abhorrent.”
“This is the opposite of the Christian faith,” Warnock quipped.
The Georgia Senator and Baptist pastor noted the change in the Easter holiday each year and the importance of dedicating a day to amplify the transgender community.
“March 31 has been a day to lift up transgender people who endure violence and bigotry,” Warnock said. “Easter – the date changes every single day. But this is just one more instance of folks who have, who do not know how to lead us trying to divide us.”
Warnock’s response comes after Johnson sent out a scathing tweet claiming that the Biden White House has “betrayed the central tenet of Easter – which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ” by declaring the new Trans holiday on Easter Sunday.
“Banning sacred truth and tradition – while at the same time proclaiming Easter Sunday as ‘Transgender Day’ – is outrageous and abhorrent,” Johnson wrote in his post.
Other Republicans have joined Johnson in shaming Biden for declaring the day of visibility on a Christian holiday. Former President Donald Trump, who is running against Biden for a second time this November, released a statement bashing Trans Visibility Day falling on Easter Sunday.
“It is appalling and insulting that Joe Biden’s White House … formally proclaimed Easter Sunday as ‘Trans Day of Visibility,” the statement read.
White House speaker Andrew Bates released a statement acknowledging his Christian faith while defending Biden’s decision to bring “people together” despite Republicans alleged attempts to “divide and weaken” 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.
“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.”
International Transgender Day of Visibility was first introduced on March 31, 2009. Created by Rachel Crandall-Crocker who chose the springtime date because she wanted some distance from Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20 and Pride Month in June.
With Transgender Day of Remembrance being dedicated to honoring the lives lost to anti-transgender violence, Crandall-Crocker aimed to dedicate a day to celebrate the living. A 2022 study from the Williams Institute, a research center at UCLA’s law school, found that more than 1.6 million people in the U.S. identify as transgender.