Most Americans were surprised to learn there is such a thing as the “International Transgender Day of Visibility” mostly because it fell on Easter Sunday this year. Americans were then shocked when the White House proclamation celebrating the “International Transgender Day of Visibility” seemed to take precedence and even eclipsed any acknowledgement of the resurrection of Christ. Poor timing to be sure, but the White House doubled down with a religious-themed tweet praising transgenderism on Easter Sunday. It was an in-your-face move.

Why would the Biden administration antagonize Christians in an election year? Another grotesque manifestation of identity politics: the fundamental Democrat strategy in everything is to cynically categorize and maliciously divide Americans, so was it a campaign tactic?

Their overzealous embrace of transgenderism was definitely official policy, as almost every federal agency issued a statement celebrating the International Transgender Day of Visibility, but few mentioned Easter. In fact, the White House prohibited any “religious themes” in the annual Easter egg decorating competition—no crosses, but rainbows are okay. At the annual Easter egg roll on the White House lawn, there were Easter eggs and Easter bunnies, but no visible symbols of the resurrection. They purposely eschewed anything Christian on the highest Christian holiday!

To be fair, this recognition day purportedly started in 2009, but has gone mostly unnoticed. Barack Obama was the first president to recognize it, but without an official proclamation. Joe Biden has issued a proclamation every year of his tenure, but the coincidence of March 31 falling on Easter Sunday this year and the White House emphasizing the transgender day with seemingly more enthusiasm than Easter made this a national controversy.

Apparently, there are more than two dozen LGBTQ+ themed recognition days, weeks, and months throughout the year. This tiny fraction of the population has more celebratory days than any other group in America. Furthermore, LGBTQ+ (and particularly transgender people) have dominated advertising, entertainment, and news the past few years, so how could they possibly need any more visibility?! They are everywhere. You cannot avoid them.

The Biden administration could have avoided this turmoil by downplaying the transgender proclamation and emphasizing an Easter proclamation, particularly on Easter Sunday, but they took the opportunity to inflame the American people. Biden has two big problems: he can’t win on the issues, and Democrats are generally not excited about his reelection.

Biden needs something to stir his base. He does not motivate hardcore leftists, but they will vote against Republicans if adequately incensed. The strategy is to poke Christians in the eye to get a righteous backlash against the administration for embracing the new phenomenon of transgenderism over the 2,000-year tradition of the resurrection. Lefties hate religion—particularly Christianity—so when Christians pipe up, leftists mobilize to silence them.

The raw politics of dividing Americans and prodding them to fight one another is tawdry and tedious, but Biden wandered into a biblical dispute much more important than any election. On Easter Sunday, Biden tweeted, "Today, on Transgender Day of Visibility, I have a simple message to all trans Americans: I see you. You are made in the image of God, and you're worthy of respect and dignity."

While more likely pandering to this vocal militant minority, Biden is correct that all humans are made in the image of God and deserve respect as individuals, but they are not entitled to have their sins dignified. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The good news is that Jesus was crucified for our sins, all of us, so that we can be forgiven. Jesus then rose from the dead to offer us eternal salvation, provided we individually choose to accept his gift of sacrifice and seek forgiveness, not seek permission to continue sinning.

Actress Alyssa Milano further conflated redemption with permission for perversion with her statement, “Jesus said love thy neighbor, so Easter and Trans Day don’t conflict.” Utterly wrong, she revealed how badly too many people misunderstand the entire concept of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Since Jesus died for our sins, His offer of forgiveness also includes a call to repentance. As he said to the woman at the well, "You are forgiven; go and sin no more."

Biden, Milano, and the entire leftist movement mislead the most vulnerable people, telling them to indulge their vices like there are no consequences. Whether it’s addiction, criminal activity, or sexual immorality, sin burdens and enslaves people. Transgenderism is sin because a transgender person allows their sexuality, like substance abuse, to consume them. It becomes their unforgiving master as they seek to appease the flesh over everything else and not feed the spirit. It’s quite simply a form of idolatry.

Telling transgender people to continue on that path is no different than telling addicts to keep abusing whatever substance they're addicted to. It’s cynical and the opposite of love. It’s actually hatred to encourage other people to stay in the darkness. Jesus offers redemption through forgiveness, but He also provides the strength for genuine repentance—He will take on our burdens and liberate us from sin. By contrast, Biden extolled perversion at the expense of redemption.

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Galatians 1:3-5).

Pete Riehm is a conservative activist and columnist in south Alabama. Email him at peteriehm@bellsouth.net or read all his columns at http://www.renewamerica.com/.