“Made in the Image of God”

He also issued a lengthy proclamation.

Transgender Awareness Day celebrates the joy, strength and sheer courage of some of the bravest people I know – people who too often have had to put their jobs, relationships and lives on the line just to be themselves. same. Today, we show millions of transgender and non-binary Americans that we see them, that they belong, and that they should be treated with dignity and respect. Their courage has given strength to countless others, but no one should have to be brave just to be themselves. Every American deserves this freedom.

Transgender Americans shape the soul of our nation – proudly serving in the military, curing deadly diseases, holding elected office, leading successful businesses, fighting for justice, raising families and so much more. As children, they deserve what every child deserves: the chance to learn in safe and supportive schools, to develop meaningful friendships, and to live openly and honestly. As adults, they deserve the same rights enjoyed by all Americans, including equal access to health care, housing and employment and the ability to age gracefully as seniors. But today, too many transgender Americans are still denied these rights and freedoms. A wave of discriminatory state laws targets transgender youth, terrifies families and hurts children who hurt no one. An epidemic of violence against transgender women and girls, especially women and girls of color, has taken lives far too soon. Last year’s Club Q shooting in Colorado was another painful example of this kind of violence – a stain on our nation’s conscience.

My administration has fought to end these injustices from day one, ensuring that transgender people and the entire LGBTQI+ community can live openly and safely. On my first day as president, I issued an executive order directing the federal government to eradicate discrimination against LGBTQI+ people and their families. We appointed a record number of openly LGBTQI+ leaders, and I was proud to reverse the ban on openly transgender people serving in the military. We’re also working to make public spaces and travel more accessible, including with more inclusive gender markers on U.S. passports. We improve access to public services and rights such as social security. We crack down on discrimination in housing and education. And last December, I signed into law the Respect for Marriage Act, ensuring that every American can marry the person they love and that marriage will be accepted, period.

Meanwhile, we’re also working to ease the enormous pressure that discrimination, bullying and harassment can place on transgender children – more than half of whom seriously considered suicide in the past year. The Department of Education, for example, helps ensure that transgender students have an equal opportunity to learn and thrive in school, and the Department of Justice opposes extreme laws that seek to ban evidence-based health care.

There is still a lot to do. I continue to call on Congress to finally pass the Equality Act and extend long-overdue civil rights protections to all LGBTQI+ Americans to ensure they can live in safety and dignity. Together, we must also continue to challenge the hundreds of hateful state laws that have been introduced across the country, ensuring that every child knows they are made in the image of God, loved, and we defend it. .

America is founded on the idea that all people are created equal and deserve to be treated the same throughout their lives. We’ve never lived up to that, but we’ve never strayed from it either. Today, as we celebrate transgender people, we also celebrate the fundamental right of every American to be themselves, which brings us closer to realizing America’s full promise.

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 the March 31, 2023 as Transgender Visibility Day. I call on all Americans to join us in uplifting the lives and voices of transgender people throughout our nation and working to end violence and discrimination against all transgender, gender non-conforming and non-binary.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have signed this thirtieth day of March in the year of grace two thousand and twenty-three and of the independence of the United States of America on the two hundred and forty-seventh.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The proclamation comes as the left has tried to distract from the transgender identity of a woman who led a deadly shooting at a Christian school in Nashville earlier this week. Establishment news outlets have attempted to portray the shooter, Audrey Hale, as a victim of transphobia, as reported by Breitbart News.

Breitbart News exclusively reported on Friday that the Office of Naval Intelligence emailed its staff on March 24, calling on them to recognize transgender or transitioning colleagues and treat them with “dignity and respect.”