Republicans took aim at President Joe Biden, who declared Easter as Transgender Day of Visibility, even though the two days coincided this year by accident, according to CNN.
Transgender Day of Visibility, which started in 2009 as a day of awareness to celebrate the successes of transgender and gender non-conforming people, is held annually on March 31. Meanwhile, the date of Easter changes every year.
But several Republicans took advantage of Biden's proclamation to attack the president.
"It is appalling and insulting that Joe Biden's White House ... has officially declared Easter Sunday a ``Transgender Day of Visibility,'' former President Donald Trump's campaign said in a statement.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said the Biden administration had "betrayed the fundamental principle of Easter" in a post by X. "The American people are jumping to conclusions."
White House spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement Saturday: "As a Christian who celebrates Easter with his family, President Biden stands for bringing people together and protecting the dignity and freedoms of every American."
"Unfortunately, it is no surprise that politicians seek 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," Bates said.
In this year's presidential proclamation, Biden said that Transgender Day of Visibility honors the "extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans".
"Transgender Americans are part of the fabric of our nation," the proclamation said, adding that they "deserve and are entitled to the same rights and freedoms as every other American, including the most fundamental freedom to be who you really are. your essence".
While touting his administration's work to advance transgender rights, such as lifting the ban on transgender military personnel, the president criticized Republican-led efforts to limit protections for transgender Americans, describing them as "harassment and discrimination.
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In response to Johnson's statement on X that holding Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter was "disgusting,", Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia said Sunday: "Obviously the speaker finds trans people disgusting. And I think he should think about it."
Warnock, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union" that the Republican response marked "just another case of people not knowing how to lead us, trying to divide us".
"This is the opposite of the Christian faith," Warnock continued. "At a time like this, we need voices, especially voices of faith, who would use our faith not as a weapon to defeat other people, but as a bridge to unite us all."
Biden issued the first-ever presidential proclamation in recognition of Transgender Day of Visibility in 2021 and has issued a proclamation every year since.
The national debate over transgender rights has become increasingly contentious, with Republican lawmakers at the state and federal levels calling for a raft of tough laws, including restrictions on childcare and the exclusion of trans women from competing on sports teams that are in accordance with their gender identity.
Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, made the issue a talking point by promising to "ban men from women's sports". Several countries have already moved to enact such a ban, expanding other anti-LGBT efforts.