When Holidays and Identities Collide: The Intersection of Easter and Trans Day of Visibility

Content warning: This article discusses prejudice against transgender people and religious tensions.

March 31st, 2024 marks an intersection of two significant observances: Easter and Transgender Day of Visibility. While both hold deep meaning for their respective communities, the overlap has sparked anger among some. Some conservative Christian groups are decrying the dual focus as blasphemous, insisting that only Easter should be acknowledged. They are especially critical of churches planning to honor trans identities as part of their Easter celebrations and the President who, as he always has, declared March 31st as Trans Day of Visibility.

As a pagan and a transgender woman, I see this confluence differently. In a recent Facebook post, I reflected on how the themes of rebirth, renewal, resurrection and living authentically connect these two occasions. Easter commemorates Jesus' triumph over death, a story of hope and new beginnings rising from devastating circumstances. For the trans community, the key resurrection narrative is transition - shedding the ill-fitting roles imposed on us to embody our true selves.

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My original TDoV / Easter Facebook Post

Easter and Trans Day of Visibility converge this year just 12 days after Ostara, offering a unique opportunity to reflect on themes of rebirth, renewal, visibility, authenticity, and liberation.

As a pagan I don't celebrate Easter. For me, Ostara the celebration of the spring equinox - a time of reawakening as the Earth comes alive again after winter, is much more aligned with my beliefs. Seeds sprout, flowers bloom, animals give birth. Ostara honors fertility, new beginnings, and the balance of light and dark. Eggs and hares, both symbols of fertility, are pagan representations of rebirth and renewal.

Easter similarly commemorates resurrection and new life. For Christians, the story of Jesus' rebirth holds the promise that new beginnings are possible, that hope and life can spring from even the darkest circumstances. Modern celebrations of Easter combine eggs and bunnies which tie directly to pagan fertility imagery, and the story of Christ's resurrection. The merging of these two spiritual celebrations is a reminder that despite differences it is possible to come together and coexist peacefully.

For the transgender community, transition is a form of rebirth and resurrection. Our transitions can be like shedding an ill-fitting skin or a chrysalis that confined us. Unburying ourselves from the suffocating weight of others' expectations. Stepping into the sun, revealed and unashamed. Through hormones or surgery, changing pronouns or presentation, we alchemize our bodies and social selves into alignment with our souls.

Every trans and nonbinary person living openly is a revolutionary act of shedding secrecy, fear, and shame. We defy a world that would erase us. And in boldly embodying our truths, we create space for others to step into the light of self-recognition.

As the natural world bursts with new growth, may we celebrate the sacredness of renewal and the holiness of authenticity. May we recognize the resurrection at work within the transgender community every day as we choose to honor our authentic selves.

However you spend this weekend, I hope you feel the hope, joy and promise of new life. Happy Easter and Trans Day of Visibility love to all.

My response to Caitlyn Jenner saying President Biden shouldn't have declared today TDoV

Caitlyn, Caitlyn, Caitlyn... Guess what? Christians don't own the day Easter falls on - they share it. They rent it!

"I am absolutely disgusted that Joe Biden has declared the most Holy of Holy days - a self proclaimed devout Catholic - as Transgender Day of Visibility. The only thing you should be declaring on this day is 'HE is Risen,'" - Caitlyn Jenner

While "He is risen" is definitely an important part of Christian Easter beliefs, the reality is that Easter celebrations for most Americans are quite different. According to Pew Research, less than half of Americans today self-identify as religious. And even though Christianity remains the dominant faith among those who are religious, the majority of people in the US don't actually celebrate a strictly "Christian" Easter.

Instead, our mainstream Easter festivities tend to be a secular mix, blending ancient pagan fertility traditions with modern consumerism. We've got Easter eggs and bunnies (pre-Christian symbols of spring and reproduction), baskets full of candy, greeting cards, big family meals, and all sorts of gifts and goodies.

This year, Easter coincides with Trans Day of Visibility - and that convergence feels especially important. While many Christians fully embrace and affirm trans folks, a vocal subset of Christians are openly expressing bigotry and engaging in discrimination against trans people like you and me, Caitlyn, all in the name of their God.

Trans visibility is an act of courageous resistance in the face of that prejudice. By boldly living our truths, we challenge the lie that there's only one way to be a person of faith, only one way to celebrate holidays, only one path to the Divine. We claim our rightful place in the public square.

So, while Christians may be the loudest about claiming the day that Easter falls in, they're really just one voice in a much more diverse cultural chorus. Lots of us are out here doing our own thing today.

Pagans, spiritually blended folks, the generally secular, trans people of all faiths and no faith, and those just here for the chocolate eggs and jelly beans - we're all sharing this day too. And that's pretty powerful. There's room for all of us at this pastel-hued spring table!

However you celebrate (or don't), I hope you have a fabulous day filled with sunshine, sweetness, authenticity, and whatever brings you joy.

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In a world still rife with transphobia, each trans and nonbinary person living openly participates in a revolutionary act of emergence. We defy the conservative Christian nationalists who would see us erased from society. And in embracing authentic self-expression, we forge space for others to step into the light of self-recognition.

The anger at even acknowledging Trans Day of Visibility alongside Easter illustrates a disturbing belief that some identities and forms of sacred celebration are more valid than others. It's a sentiment I'm all too familiar with as a transgender pagan. My spirituality and selfhood are regularly dismissed, even demonized, by conservative Christians asserting a monopoly on legitimacy and access to the public square.

But the reality is that many of us draw strength, meaning and moral guidance from a wide spectrum of beliefs. Paganism has been part of my journey to wholeness as a not just a person, but as a transwoman. The pagan sabbat of Ostara, celebrating the spring equinox, is a time for honoring rebirth and new growth - highly resonant themes for trans people stepping into our authenticity.

Conservative Christians miss the irony in wielding their faith as a cudgel to attack trans inclusion. The very same Jesus they claim to follow was known for crossing lines, upsetting social hierarchies, and embracing those on the margins. He reserved his harshest words for the religious authorities using theology to exclude and shame others.

The unceasing, ever-growing wave of legislation targeting trans rights, especially trans youth, often has its roots in an extreme conservative Christian ideology. But criminalizing gender-affirming care, banning trans girls from sports, refusing to use our names and pronouns, and using false equivalencies to paint us predatory, dangerous threat to women and children is antithetical to Jesus' teachings.

There is nothing blasphemous in my desire to honor both parts of myself, to see the sacred threads connecting rebirth and resurrection with the beauty of trans lives lived openly. If conservative Christians took seriously the command to love their neighbors, they would see that embracing, making room for and listening to trans people is in fact the holiest possible way to embody their faith.