Caitlyn Jenner condemned President Joe Biden's announcement on Saturday in which he proclaimed Sunday, March 31, which happens to be the day Easter falls on this year, Transgender Day of Visibility.
The International Transgender Day of Visibility was created on March 31, 2009, and has continued to be celebrated every March 31 for more than a decade. The day is meant to not only honor transgender people, but raise awareness of the discrimination they continue to face.
On Friday, the White House sent out an announcement proclaiming March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility. This announcement is just a formality as the date of this annual event has already been set and is a way for the Biden administration to celebrate the holiday.
Easter usually falls between March 22 and April 25 every year and is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon on or following the spring equinox.
In the announcement, Biden wrote, "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."
However, in response to Biden's announcement of Transgender Day of Visibility, Jenner took to X, formerly Twitter, to condemn him.
"I am absolutely disgusted that Joe Biden has declared the most Holy of Holy days - a self proclaimed devout Catholic - as Transgender Day of Visibility. The only thing you should be declaring on this day is 'HE is Risen,'" Jenner wrote on X on Saturday.
Newsweek has reached out to Jenner via an email online form for comment.
This is not the first time Jenner, who came out as a transgender woman in 2015, has commented on LGBTQ+ issues, which at times, has sparked backlash.
The Olympic gold medal winner, who identifies as a Republican, has often seen pushback over her on-and-off again support for former President Donald Trump. While she backed Trump in the 2016 general election, she has also criticized him several times on social media over LGBTQ+ issues. However, she has confirmed she will be voting for him in the 2024 election if he lands the nomination.
Jenner was not the first to criticize Biden over Transgender Day of Visibility. Trump's national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, called it "appalling and insulting" that Biden "formally proclaimed Easter Sunday as 'Trans Day of Visibility'" in a statement on Saturday. Leavitt said the president's announcement is an example of his administration's "years-long assault on the Christian faith."
"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," she added.
However, in response to the criticism, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates previously told Newsweek via email on Saturday afternoon: "As a Christian who celebrates Easter with family, President Biden stands for bringing people together and upholding the dignity and freedoms of every American. 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."
Biden, who is a Catholic, has championed LGBTQ+ rights while in office, which he wrote about in his Transgender Visibility Day announcement.
"I am proud to have appointed transgender leaders to my Administration and to have ended the ban on transgender Americans serving openly in our military," the president wrote. "I am proud to have signed historic Executive Orders that strengthen civil rights protections in housing, employment, health care, education, the justice system, and more. I am proud to have signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law, ensuring that every American can marry the person they love."
However, he admitted "there is much more to do" and called on Congress to pass the Equality Act, which would "codify civil rights protections for all LGBTQI+ Americans."
The announcement comes as at least 510 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in state legislatures across the country in 2023, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
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