The reaction to Easter and Transgender Day of Visibility

This year, Easter took place on March 31, meaning a lot of people got to enjoy the festivities of hunting for eggs, eating sweet chocolates and enjoying the warmth of spring. On the religious side of the holiday, people got together to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ after he was crucified. 

At the same time, however, March 31 marked the day known as Transgender Day of Visibility, an international holiday that’s been celebrated since 2009, dedicated to spreading awareness among people who fall under the transgender umbrella. 

Most people wouldn’t care too much if two holidays happened to coincide with one another, yet this was an exception. President Biden announced the commemoration of Transgender Day of Visibility, proclaiming the following on the official government website for the White House, “NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility.” 

As a result of this proclamation, people immediately responded to the president’s statements, going so far as to accuse him of overshadowing the Easter holiday. 

I think it’s clear to say that the people who are reacting to the proclamation are overreacting. The Transgender Day of Visibility has been around for 15 years, yet people are making claims like the President has betrayed the spirit of Easter or is holding the holiday is abhorrent. It’s honestly nothing more than an excuse to garner controversy and direct hate. 

It just so happened that the two holidays shared a spot together this year; if anything, it was the Easter holiday that invaded March 31. Each year, Easter’s date changes, always taking place on Sunday after the first full moon of spring. Meanwhile, Transgender Day of Visibility is and has always been on March 31. 

This was an issue that didn’t need to happen. People could’ve just celebrated the respective holidays without trying to rile up negativity. But instead, they went ahead and fanned the flames over what’s supposed to be a day to appreciate and show awareness to transgender people. 

Transgender people themselves already get a lot of hate and discrimination. They get called out on it in public, online, with family and friends, in religion, politics and more. Even on a day that was made to honor and show gratitude, they can never get a break because there’s always someone out there trying to find an excuse and a way to try to prove that they are the enemy and should be treated as such.  

It is wrong to do that, wrong to go after them simply because one doesn’t like how they express themselves. You would think people would realize and understand. But no, they never do, they just don’t like to appreciate people for who they are. Instead, they do whatever they can to knock them down, pummel them till they can’t get up and move onto their next target. It is irritating that two different holidays happened to take place on the same day and that was all it took to kick the hornet’s nest. 

The moral of the story is that people are getting mad over nothing and should instead enjoy both holidays for what they are. And besides, if people think that Easter landing on March 31 was bad, then imagine the sparks that will ignite next year when Easter lands on April 20. 

Lee Cloward can be reached at [email protected]