On Saturday, the White House announced that Easter Sunday would be Transgender Visibility Day, a decision that prompted an outcry from the faithful, including Magic forward Jonathan Isaac.
The White House issued a statement Saturday saying that March 31 would be a day to honor “the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans.”
“On Transgender Day of Visibility, we honor the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans and reaffirm our Nation’s commitment to forming a more perfect Union — where all people are created equal and treated equally throughout their lives,” the White House said.
“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,” it continued. “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.”
The backlash to this statement was swift, with Isaac joining others in blasting the president.
“They want you to hate! This helps no one and only promotes division,” Isaac wrote on social media. “They know exactly what they are doing.. we should be angry but shouldn’t lose the spirit of what tomorrow means! Don’t lose focus. Because He is risen, there is hope for all.”
Later, however, Isaac captioned that post with another acknowledging that the Biden administration had declared March 31 Transgender Visibility Day every year since taking office and that this year, it just happened to fall on Easter Sunday. A fact that Isaac believes “releases the administration from the allegation on intentionality.”
“Instead of deleting the tweet like it never happened this is my good faith retraction lol,” Isaac wrote on X.
“The message is the same. Keep focused on what Resurrection Sunday Is all about. Christ defeating sin and death for all people who would believe.”
It could be argued that Isaac is being too charitable to the White House with his retraction,
Along with the power of declaring Transgender Visibility Day on March 31, Biden could have worked to remove that declaration for this year to avoid offending more than two billion members of the Christian faith – a faith he professes to be a part of. Also, given the widespread availability of calendars and how they work, the Biden administration would have had to know that in declaring March 31 Transgender Visibility Day, it would eventually fall on Easter Sunday.
Even in giving the administration a pass on the scheduling of the event, there’s no mistaking the insult to Christianity with the White House directive to not allow “religious symbols” in its Easter art contest. A fact that Isaac acknowledged in a later post.
Isaac has gained notoriety for his strong stances on vaccine mandates and refusing to kneel in protest during the national anthem.
Thank you Mr. Isaac for recognizing the obvious and calling it out. Biden and the current “government” are the great dividers.