Republicans and religious rightists have gotten their feathers all ruffled over the fact that Easter this year coincides with International Transgender Day of Visibility. Like in the old westerns, they’re shouting “This town ain’t got room for the two of us!”

Easter

I think we all know Easter. It celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day following his Crucifixion. Unlike other Christian holidays like Christmas that fall on a set date, Easter ranges between March 22 to April 25. As explained online: “Easter falls on the first Sunday after the Full Moon date, based on mathematical calculations, that falls on or after March 21. If the Full Moon is on a Sunday, Easter is celebrated on the following Sunday.”

Transgender Day of Visibility

Less is known about International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV). Unlike Easter, TDOV falls on a set date each year: March 31.

The idea was first proposed in Michigan in 2009 by psychotherapist Rachel Crandall-Crocker. To her surprise the idea caught on and now TDOV is observed around the world.  

Some are suggesting that Transgender Day of Visibility has been orchestrated to fall on Easter as a deliberate affront to Christianity. This is nonsense, otherwise TDOV would be timed to fall on Easter every year. In the 500 years between 1600 and 2099, Easter falls on March 31st just 22 times, or 4.4% of the time.

But facts didn’t stop these panelists from ranting on Fox News:

Much was made of the fact that TDOV is just a “random day picked by a random person.” One of the panelists said, “It’s like Kwanzaa, it was made up by somebody to do something” — meaning it’s without importance or validity. I think a lot of people would be deeply offended by this denigration of Kwanzaa.

Always looking for a hook to condemn trans people, one panelist cited the 2023 mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville in which the shooter was transgender. I’m certainly not excusing the shooter’s actions, but less than 10 of the 4,400 mass shootings over the past decade — 0.11% — were committed by people identified as transgender. Cisgender men are by far more dangerous!

What Would Jesus Say?

So what would Jesus say about all this? Well, I won’t presume to answer this question except to quote the following:

[T]he Bible leaves a lot to interpretation. It’s easy to cherry-pick sentences and warp them for a political agenda. There are also plenty of passages that Christians clearly reject like, amusingly, warnings to not wear clothing with two types of material. And there are other morally abhorrent passages that are fiercely rejected, like those supporting enslavement and condoning violence against women…

In contrast, nearly every page of the Bible tells us that we must love and care for one another, not degrade and harm each other. This message of love and care is clear, not a false extrapolation.

I would encourage readers to watch and reflect on this short film, a story about a man who struggles with his religious beliefs after a gay family moves in next door.

Further Reading

Transgender Day of Visibility
GLAAD.com

Trans Day of Visibility began 15 years ago. The founder is still moved by its success
NPR
March 30, 2024

Celebrating Transgender Day Of Visibility With Black And Trans @ Trevor
The Trevor Project
March 28, 2024

A call to celebrate the Trans Day of Visibility on Easter Sunday
The Presbyterian Outlook
March 28, 2024

Commentary: Trans Day of Visibility falls on Easter this year, and LGBTQ+ people need ‘a resurrection moment’
United Church of Christ
March 26, 2024

Biden issues proclamation for Transgender Day of Visibility amid Republican attacks on trans rights
The Advocate
March 30, 2024

White House responds to weird Republican outrage over Transgender Day of Visibility coinciding with Easter
The Advocate
March 31, 2024

A Proclamation on Transgender Day of Visibility, 2024
The White House
March 29, 2024

Title image “borrowed” from the GLAAD website.

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