On March 31st, 2024, President Joe Biden received backlash from anti-LGBTQ activists for posting about Transgender Day of Visibility. Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, accused President Biden for betraying the “central tenet of Easter” by “proclaiming Eastern Sunday as ‘Transgender Day.’”
Contrary to popular belief, Transgender Day of Visibility is on March 31st every year, whereas the date of Easter varies depending on the lunar calendar. President Biden also did not declare March 31st as the Transgender Day of Visibility. The day was actually created in 2009 by Rachel Crandall-Crocker, a transgender activist and the founder of Transgender Michigan. Taking to Facebook, she called for a day dedicated to recognizing transgender people and urged people worldwide to organize events in their hometowns. Since then, millions worldwide observe Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31st to celebrate the lives of transgender people while shedding light on the discrimination and hate faced by transgender people. When anti-LGBTQ extremists claim that President Biden established the Trans Day of Visibility, they’re not just wrong — they also diminish the efforts of those who brought Trans Day of Visibility to life. In a GLAAD statement posted onto Instagram, “Fact Check: Easter changes dates each year and Trans Day of Visibility always falls on March 31. Anyone who says anything different is sadly overshadowing the hope and joy that Easter represents.”
Besides not understanding how the lunar calendar works, here are 4 more times anti-LGBTQ extremists got it wrong:
2. When they boycotted Jeopardy for using part of the English language
On February 26th, 2024, TV game show Jeopardy aired an episode that incited a meltdown among anti-LGBTQ extremists. Contestant Chris Pannulo chose a $600 clue under the category “Speech! Parts of Speech!” When the screen displayed the words, Xem, Xyrs, and Xemself, Pannulo accurately responded, “What are pronouns?” Unsurprisingly, anti-LGBTQ extremists threatened to boycott the show for referencing pronouns:
What actually happened: pronouns are a part of the English language.
Pronouns are quite literally how people identify themselves in the English language.
According to the GLAAD Media Reference Guide, “We all use pronouns, and pronouns convey gender information. If you say ‘He went to the store’ and ‘She went to work,’ your audience understands you to say that a man went to the store and a woman went to work.” Just because “cisgender people rarely think about pronouns because the gendered pronoun people use for them is aligned with the sex they were assigned at birth” does not mean that pronouns go unused in daily language.
Jeopardy’s reference of pronouns in their programming shows only that Jeopardy 1) understands the English language, and 2) acknowledges gender-nonconforming people.
3. When they boycotted Chick-fil-A for being “too woke”
In May 2023, conservatives discovered that Chick-fil-A hired a Vice President of DEI several years ago.
Joey Mannarino, a conservative activist and podcaster, complained on X:
Charlie Kirk, an extremist right-wing political activist, said to his 2.2 million followers on Twitter that DEI initiatives were “anti-white, anti-American, and anti-Christian,” and a “Marxist Trojan Horse with a sweet sounding name.”
Lauren Chen, host of Blaze TV, tweeted that there is “no legitimate, non-woke reason for any company to have a ‘DEI’ department or program” because “individuals will be rewarded or penalized on the basis of race, gender, or sexuality.”
What actually happened: Chick-fil-A has donated millions to anti-LGBTQ and hate groups. And hiring staff dedicated to DEI ensures healthy work cultures, boosts innovation, and begins to address structural inequalities.
Before appointing a Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Chick-fil-A foundation donated $1.65 million to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and $115,000 to The Salvation Army in 2018. Notably, both organizations have expressed transphobic and homophobic beliefs. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes requires its 7,000 chapters “to abide by its statement on faith and ‘sexual purity,’” which reads, “‘The Bible teaches that the appropriate place for sexual expression is in the context of a marriage relationship [between] one man and one woman.’” The Salvation Army, too, used to have the following statement on its website: “Scripture forbids sexual intimacy between members of the same sex. The Salvation Army believes, therefore, that Christians whose sexual orientation is primarily or exclusively same-sex are called upon to embrace celibacy as a way of life.”
In 2012, Dan Cathy, then-CEO of Chick-fil-A, stated that the company believed in “the biblical definition of the family unit.” In 2011, the Cathy family was also exposed for donating $1.9 million to anti-gay organizations, including a $1.1 donation to the Marriage & Family Foundation, which opposes gay marriage.
Unlike what anti-LGBTQ extremists believe, hiring staff committed to DEI is also a good business decision. A study by GLAAD and Edelman Trust Institute revealed that U.S. employees are “4.5x more likely to work at a company if it publicly supports and demonstrates a commitment to expanding and protecting LGBTQ+ rights.”
4. When Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler had sex with another woman — despite attacking LGBTQ students and individuals.
Bridget Ziegler has long been active as an anti-LGBTQ extremist, supporting DeSantis’ “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which prohibits discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in schools. As a co-founder of Moms for Liberty, her group calls for book bans, classroom censorship, and bans on teaching about slavery, race, racism and LGBTQ people and history.
What actually happened: Ziegler had previously engaged in a sexual threesome with another woman and her husband.
According to NPR, Ziegler’s husband Christian, then-chair of the Florida Republican Party, was accused of rape by a woman. A released search warrant affidavit revealed that Bridget Ziegler previously had sex with the same woman and her husband, exposing her hypocrisy given her outspoken anti-LGBTQ stance. In light of these allegations, Ziegler has faced repeated calls to step down from her position as a Sarasota School Board member, including a 4-1 non-binding vote by the board in favor of her resignation.
According to the Sarasota School Board website, Ziegler remains on the Sarasota School Board. On January 8th, Christian Ziegler was removed as chairman of the Florida Republican Party.
5. When Target thought pulling back their LGBTQ merchandise in response to backlash was a good idea
When Target released their merchandise for 2023 Pride Month, they faced backlash from anti-LGBTQ extremists both online and offline. The company cited confrontations between customers and employees, as well as incidents of Pride merchandise being deliberately thrown onto the floor. In an interview with The Rolling Stone, Erik Carnell, the transender designer who designed part of Target’s Pride collection, revealed receiving “innumerable death threats and threats of violence.” On social media, anti-LGBTQ extremists also attacked Target for supposedly creating “tuck-friendly” swimsuits for children. In reality, the swimsuits were only available in adult sizes. On the Target website, anti-LGBTQ extremists left countless transphobic reviews. One review reads, “It would be cute if my gender and all the experiences and struggles that have come with it was a costume.”
As a result, Target pulled many of its Pride merchandise, demonstrating the company’s failure to stand with the LGBTQ community in times of opposition, despite Target’s longtime allyship with LGBTQ people.
What actually happened: Target now faces a major loss in sales and lasting distrust from the LGBTQ community.
Perhaps this wasn’t Target’s smartest business decision. Christina Hennington, Target’s chief growth officer, revealed that “the strong reaction to this year’s Pride assortment” impacted sales. Research by GLAAD also shows that when brands showcase support for LGBTQ causes, “Americans are 2x more likely to buy or use the brand.”
Target’s reaction to the backlash also deepened distrust within the LGBTQ community, who already grapple with anti-LGBTQ threats and hostility. On May 24th, 2023, Sarah Kate Ellis, President & CEO of GLAAD, said in a statement: “Anti-LGBTQ violence and hate should not be winning in America, but it will continue to until corporate leaders step up as heroes for their LGBTQ employees and consumers and do not cave to fringe activists calling for censorship. The fact that a small group of extremists are threatening disgusting and harsh violence in response to Target continuing its long-standing tradition of offering products for everyone should be a wake-up call for consumers and is a reminder that LGBTQ people, venues, and events are being attacked with threats and violence like never before. An avalanche of research shows that Americans are comfortable seeing LGBTQ people in ads and marketing and that consumers, especially younger ones, prefer companies that include LGBTQ people internally and externally.”