Raphael Warnock slams Mike Johnson as ‘opposite of Christian’ after Trans Visibility Day uproar

US House Speaker Mike Johnson Senator Raphael Warnock

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"This is just one more instance of folks who do not know how to lead us trying to divide us," the Georgia Democrat recently said.

Senator Raphael Warnock has a message for Mike Johnson that he believes the Speaker of the House has forgotten: Love thy neighbor.

Every year, Transgender Day of Visibility occurs on March 31. President Joe Biden, who was the first president to recognize the date, issued this year's proclamation last week, telling transgender Americans: "I have your back."

The Christian holiday of Easter, which occurs on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, happened to fall on March 31 this year. Despite the overlap of the dates being a coincidence, conservatives were up in arms over the weekend, accusing Biden of attempting to replace the Christian celebration with an occasion for queer people.

“The Biden White House has betrayed the central tenet of Easter — which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Banning sacred truth and tradition — while at the same time proclaiming Easter Sunday as ‘Transgender Day’ — is outrageous and abhorrent," Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on Twitter/X. "The American people are taking note.”

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As other Republican lawmakers and figures echoed similar sentiments, including the national press secretary for former president Donald Trump, others were quick to point out their absurdity. After giving an Easter sermon at Martin Luther King Jr.’s church in Atlanta on Sunday, Georgia Democrat and Reverend Raphael Warnock specifically focused on Johnson.

“Apparently, the Speaker finds trans people abhorrent, and I think he ought to think about that," Warnock said in a CNN “State of the Union” interview. "This is just one more instance of folks who do not know how to lead us trying to divide us. This is the opposite of the Christian faith."

The White House responded to the bizarre outrage Sunday, with White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates telling The Advocatethat "it’s unsurprising politicians are seeking to divide and weaken our country with cruel, hateful, and dishonest rhetoric."

Warnock continued his remarks to emphasize inclusion, which he said is meant to be the core of Christian values.

"Jesus centered the marginalized. He centered the poor," he said. "And in a moment like this, we need voices, particularly voices of faith, who would use our faith not as a weapon to beat other people down but as a bridge to bring all of us together.