The Easter/Transgender Day of Visibility controversy
Christians across the state and country came together to celebrate the Easter holiday this past Sunday. However, there was also a lot of anger over Transgender Day of Visibility which was being celebrated by another group of people that same day.
Transgender Americans are part of the fabric of our nation.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 31, 2024
On Transgender Day of Visibility, our Administration honors the extraordinary courage of transgender Americans and reaffirms our commitment to forming a more perfect union – where all people are treated equally. pic.twitter.com/ElRf9l62Nk
The internet was just wild about this. If you went on X (formerly Twitter), there were the usual unhinged takes from trans activists, but I also think there were some misinformed takes by more conservative individuals as well.
Brandon turned the gaslight dial to 11.
— Michael Austin, KS Economist (@KSEconomist) March 31, 2024
Cope, however, you wish. Christ is King. #ksleg https://t.co/Z6tjvQkpXU
The above is a tweet by Michael Austin, an economist and the President of the Kansas Black Republican Council, pushing back against a tweet by Rep. Brandon Woodard, a Democrat representing parts of Lenexa, Olathe, and Overland Park.
Both came off as cringe to me for different reasons. The reality is, Rep. Woodard is right in saying that this is the 15th year Trans Day of Visibility has been celebrated, and since its inception in 2009, it has always fallen on March 31. To me, the fact that a day that always takes place on March 31 were to fall on the same day as a religious holiday with a date that changes every year based on the spring equinox and the phases of the moon is purely coincidence and not anything of significance. His take becomes cringe to me after that when he starts talking about trans joy and their rights being “under attack”.
Trans Day of Visibility is cringe and unnecessary, just like the other 35+ LGBTQ+ Awareness holidays happening this year. This is one of the loudest and most visible groups around despite them being such a minority. The idea that they aren’t visible and need a day to celebrate their “joy” is laughable, and I say that as a gay man who is also tired of these LGBTQ+ “awareness” holidays. Understanding our history is important, so I won’t knock any days that focus on our history, but these “awareness” holidays are overly done to the point of being cringey.
As for Austin, while I get that religion is important to many people, and this is also X where people are not their best selves, he is completely dismissing a valid point by Rep. Woodard regarding the coincidence of the March 31 date. I do think he was right about the gaslighting comment, though. When Rep. Woodard stated that “[trans] rights are under attack,” what he really means is that politicians are looking at studies and realizing that minors should probably wait until they are at the very least legal adults to receive irreversible services to transition. Not really as horrible as “their rights being under attack.”
“Today we celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility, which serves as a celebration of the lives and contributions of trans people as well as a chance to reflect on the fight for equality,” a post from the ACLU of Kansas said.
In the post, they also claimed that “fewer than half of Americans personally know someone who is trans, and around a quarter know someone who uses gender-neutral pronouns,” according to Pew Research.
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Ian Brannan
Ian Brannan is an independent journalist who founded The Kansas Constitutional in April 2022. His work focuses on issues including abortion, Convention of States, drug policy, education, gun policy, LGBT issues, media, and more.
