New York Celebrates ‘Trans Visibility’ on Easter Sunday
On Saturday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued a proclamation declaring March 31, 2024 “Transgender Day of Visibility” sparking outrage among the Christian community celebrating Easter on the same day.
Easter, also called Resurrection Sunday, is a fundamental holiday for practicing Christians and is celebrated annually on the first Sunday following the “first full moon after the vernal equinox (the first day of spring),” one Christian ministry explains. This year, the religious celebration happened to coincide with the pseudo-holiday, the Transgender Day of Visibility, first acknowledged by pubic office holders in 2021. Because it is not a federally-recognized holiday, the Transgender Day of Visibility declaration must be re-issued each year to commemorate the day.
The New York governor additionally announced that 13 landmarks across New York City and the state would be lit up in light pink, white, and blue on the holiday to celebrate “the trans community in New York State and across the country.”
The One World Trade Center, State Education Building, Empire State Plaza, and Niagra Falls were a few of the highly trafficked locations that were decorated in transgender-pride colors.
The Kosciuszko Bridge, the H. Carl McCall SUNY Building, the Alfred E. Smith State Office Building, the State Fairgrounds – Main Gate and Expo Center, the Albany International Airport Gateway, the Lake Placid Olympic Center, the East End Gateway at Penn Station, the Fairport Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal, and the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park were also lit.
The decision drew criticism across social media as many users compared a nostalgic image of the New York City skyline illuminated by three crosses for Easter weekend in 1959.
“Trans rights are human rights, and I’m proud that we’ve taken nation-leading action to protect and affirm transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming New Yorkers,” Gov. Hochul posted on social media Sunday. “New York will always be a welcoming, inclusive, and affirming home for all.”
