The Presidential Proclamation and the Transgender Day of Visibility
Easter is no longer about Jesus or Christianity
On Good Friday, the day the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is observed, Joe Biden proclaimed that March 31st would be recognized as “Transgender Day of Visibility” for 2024. According to LGBT group GLAAD, trans day of visibility has been celebrated since 2014 and has always been celebrated on March 31st. It just so happens that this year, March 31st is Easter Sunday. The fact that Biden has now made a public statement about trans day of visibility has many Christians concerned that Easter is being downgraded, overlooked, and given less importance than this new made up holiday.
Whether or not this is a deliberate attack on Christians is actually beside the point. There are other implications to the emphasis being placed on the trans day of visibility. Firstly, there is a direct preference being made. Instead of acknowledging the day as Easter and the resurrection of Christ, it is rather acknowledging the “struggles” of trans people in America. Easter is essentially forced into the passenger seat while the trans day of visibility gets to drive. It is hard to not see this as being intentional because it certainly shows tone-deafness in regards to the major holiday, which is important to many U.S. citizens. It would be like setting aside a day to remember the holocaust in order to appreciate a new doughnut factory being opened. One would say, “look at all of the new jobs and happy people that get to work at the factory and how they’re free to express themselves.” Meanwhile, a Jewish family is crying in the corner remembering their lost loved ones.
Secondly, what exactly is being observed and celebrated pertains only to a small percentage of the American population, just a little over 1%. The percentage of Americans who are Christian, according to the 2020 Census, is over 50%. What then does it mean for our national government to place so much emphasis on a holiday that is celebrated by a very small minority of people over a major holiday that is celebrated by the majority of people? The agenda is clear, and it becomes even clearer if you actually read the proclamation.
Biden’s proclamation is full of statements about the transgender population in America that are nothing but empty talking points. He states that “transgender Americans are part of the fabric of our nation. Whether serving their communities or in the military, raising families or running businesses, they help America thrive. They deserve, and are entitled to, the same rights and freedoms as every other American, including the most fundamental freedom to be their true selves.” There is so much here in this one part of his statement that just doesn’t make sense.
Weren’t transgender people American before their transition? What exactly about their rights and freedoms have changed? If this is only 1% of the American population, why should they be given preference over any other person? Should anyone be given preference, because isn’t that just a form of discrimination? They’re entitled to the same rights, well what rights don’t they have that everyone else does? The truth is that there’s nothing different about the rights and freedoms between transgender people and other people because we are all American citizens.
The biggest problem I have is with the last sentence, the entitlement to be their true selves. Does the government decide what the true self is? Does anyone know who they truly are? This is a serious philosophical question that is given no real consideration. It is not clear to me that proper contemplation has taken place to the issue of what the true self is. One would likely have to spend many decades pondering the question, with hours upon hours of philosophical and psychological study to help formulate what the “self” actually is, let alone what the “true self” is. It’s just accepted as a fact that anyone who transitions is doing so to become their most “true self.” How then can we properly codify laws and make national holidays out of an ill-considered conceptualization of what the “truest self” is? The answer is that we really shouldn’t. Just like how a doctor would avoid rushing into treatment without first knowing what the diagnosis is, laws and holidays should not be made without first knowing what they are actually supporting. Although, part of this whole nightmare of an issue pertains to so-called doctors doing exactly the opposite of what I just said.
Let’s talk about what a day of trans visibility actually means. This day is to highlight and recognize both the struggles and the victories of transgender people throughout America. For them, being accepted as who they feel themselves to be is the ultimate battle, and they won’t be satisfied until everywhere they go they are accepted and recognized. Of course, it seems like a basic human right to be acknowledged for who you are, but this isn’t even the case for most people. People have to strive to make a name for themselves or to attain a position of status where they feel they can make a difference. They have to work to attain the respect and recognition from others, and they garner that respect through respectable actions.
When it comes to transgender people, the idea is that we should respect them for who they are based on their appearances and who they claim to be, rather than on their actions or merits. This is an issue of entitlement. You don’t get to just make demands to be respected and have everyone else agree. Even those that fight to earn respect are still hated by others, but that is natural because of our differences. To command respect when it hasn’t been rightfully earned is pretentious, condescending, and the mark of immaturity. To force others to respect you because you are treated as a protected class is a whole other whale of an issue, one that borders on totalitarian control. That may sound drastic, but once speech is compelled to force others into a certain way of thinking or being, then you have the makings of a totalitarian state. It’s already like that in Canada, and it might not be long before America follows suit.
How about a day of visibility for poor and disabled people? How about acknowledging those who can’t afford real health care and having insurance cover necessities like hearing aids and specialized glasses? Insurance will cover hormones and gender “surgeries,” but they won’t cover a pair of bifocal lenses for my legally blind wife? Get real. This is a horrid joke. I don’t doubt that many people who call themselves trans suffer from some sort of anxiety and/or depression, and they should receive help with those issues, but to call elective surgeries medically necessary when disabled people can’t get enough food stamps to last them more than 2 weeks, or legally blind people can’t get the glasses they need to see is pitiful to say the least.
Back to the original issue, as a practicing Christian, I am deeply concerned about the fact that Easter is being overshadowed by the trans day of visibility. Sure, it has always happened on the 31st of March for the last 10 years, but Easter has been celebrated for over 2000 years. Our president has gone out of his way to dishonor its practice by removing its religious symbols and themes from its celebrations. What is Easter if not one of the most important Christian holidays? Stripping it of its religious connotations is essentially neutering the Easter bunny (which has nothing to do with the actual holiday or resurrection). The themes and events become just another way for chocolate companies to sell chocolate, stores to shell out cheap plastic crap that mostly gets thrown away, and for ideologues to tell their children how bad Christianity and religion is. The meaning is entirely removed.
Instead, the self-proclaimed marginalized of our society get lifted up and celebrated, not for their merit, but for simply being sheep enough to fall into an ideology that preys on them. And while that won’t stop Christians from celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, it certainly garners apprehension and incredulity when considering the priorities of our governing bodies.