President Joe Biden declared March 31 "Transgender Day of Visibility," the same 2024 date for Easter Sunday.
"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 White House wrote in a Friday press release.
"I call upon all Americans to join us in lifting up the lives and voices of transgender people throughout our Nation and to work toward eliminating violence and discrimination based on gender identity," the statement continued.
Biden has spoken out in support of the transgender community in the past. Last year, he paid tribute to transgender people who lost their lives due to violence.
"Today, on Transgender Day of Remembrance we are reminded that there is more to do [to] meet that promise, as we grieve the 26 transgender Americans whose lives were taken this year," he said last year, according to CBS News.
Biden said in his Friday statement that he was very proud to have appointed transgender individuals in his administration.
"Transgender Americans are part of the fabric of our Nation. Whether serving their communities or in the military, raising families or running businesses, they help America thrive," he said.
Transgender Day of Visibility was started in 2009 by activists and set as March 31 at that time. In 2021, President Biden became the first U.S. president to officially proclaim March 31 as the Transgender Day of Visibility and has issued similar proclamations on that date every year since.
