Hochul echoes WH with New York Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter, orders landmarks lit for occasion
Thirteen landmarks in New York will be lit Sunday in observance of International Transgender Day of Visibility, which happens to fall on Easter this year.
The state of New York will have 13 landmarks lit in celebration of Transgender Day of Visibility Sunday, joining the White House in observation of the day.
One World Trade Center, the Empire State Plaza and Niagara Falls are just a few of the locations that "will be lit light pink, white and light blue," a press release from the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul states.
"I am proud of the strength transgender New Yorkers display every day and want to make one thing clear: You are always welcome in New York. You are loved," Hochul said.
Events scheduled around the world include panels and speakers in Cincinnati and Atlanta, marches in Melbourne and Philadelphia and an inclusive roller derby league game on New York's Long Island. A picnic is planned in the English town of Hitchin.
Perhaps the highest-profile U.S. event is a rally scheduled for Sunday on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
President Biden was slammed on social media Saturday after marking Easter Sunday, the most solemn Christian holiday, "Transgender Day of Visibility."
BIDEN SLAMMED ON SOCIAL MEDIA AFTER ANNOUNCING TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBILITY ON EASTER SUNDAY
While March 31 has been designated to honor the transgender movement in the U.S. since Biden took office and internationally since 2009, this year it falls on Easter Sunday, one of the most important days for Christians celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
"On Transgender Day of Visibility, we honor the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans and reaffirm our Nation’s commitment to forming a more perfect Union — where all people are created equal and treated equally throughout their lives," a statement released by the White House said.
HUCKABEE SLAMS BIDEN FOR RECOGNIZING 'TRANS VISIBILITY DAY' ON EASTER SUNDAY: 'GONE TO LA LA LAND'
"Transgender persons deserve to live authentically, safely and with dignity," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement released Easter Sunday.
International Transgender Day of Visibility was first organized in 2009 by Rachel Crandall-Crocker, the executive director and co-founder of Transgender Michigan, according to The Associated Press.
"I think that once a person understands us, it’s hard to discriminate against us," she said in an interview. "I created it because I wanted a time that we don’t have to be so lonely. I wanted a day that we’re all together all over the world as one community. And that’s exactly what we are."
Fox News' Haley Chi-Sing, Anders Hagstrom and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
