Van Orden wrong on holiday decision
Trans Day of Visibility is always March 31; Easter moves with lunar cycle
Like many other Republicans, U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden blasted President Joe Biden on social media over the Easter weekend.
The claim: That Biden went out of his way to declare Easter Sunday as “Transgender Day of Visibility.”
Van Orden, a first-term Republican from Wisconsin, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “There are 365 days in the year and Biden chose the High Holiest Day in Western Christendom to acknowledge something other than the resurrection of Christ. This is not an oversight or an accident.”
His claim came from a statement from Biden released on March 29 that noted March 31 was Transgender Day of Visibility — which happened to be the same day as Easter this year.
But Van Orden’s post – which claimed Biden himself linked the two together – is off base.
The same holds for similar claims from former President Donald Trump, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and other Republicans.
Here’s why.
March 31 Easter and Transgender Day of Visibility is a coincidence
Transgender Day of Visibility was started in 2009 by trans activist Rachel Crandall-Crocker as a day to celebrate and raise awareness of transgender people.
The event has always fallen on March 31 and was selected so it wouldn’t conflict with Transgender Day of Remembrance in November and Pride Month in June.
Easter’s date, on the other hand, changes every year.
The Christian holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ is based on the lunar calendar and always falls on the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox.
Indeed, Biden also released a statement on Easter Sunday acknowledging and celebrating the holiday.
And, to be sure, there was really nothing new about him recognizing Transgender Day of Action. His administration has acknowledged the event by proclamation every year since he was elected.
Our ruling
Van Orden claimed Biden purposefully chose Easter Sunday to mark Transgender Day of Visibility.
But he does not control the lunar calendar, which governs when Easter falls.
We rate this claim False.