LGBT White House website page removed for Trump transition
Not even a day into the Trump transition and we’re already getting hints of how the new president will be handling his new administration with the removal or changes of several pages in the WhiteHouse.gov website.
In particular, the whitehouse.gov/lgbt page has disappeared and replaced with with a Trump “transitionsplash” page. Afterward, the whole page disappeared.
Other pages on the website– like the HIV/AIDS strategy, civil rights, women’s rights, and climate change– had also disappeared.
Though the disappearances may be just signs of the transition, it is still proving worrisome, given the people behind the incoming administration.
Trump transition started after inauguration
When Donald Trump was sworn in last Friday, the pages on the White House website started disappearing around noon, when members of the Obama administration turned it over to the Trump team.
For example, the page on civil rights was replaced with a page with the title, “Standing Up For Our Law Enforcement Community.” However, The Daily Beast pointed out that the page made false claims.
The page stated: “In our nation’s capital, killings have risen by 50 percent.” But according to the Chicago Tribune, homicides in Washington, DC went down by 17 percent from 2016 to 2015.
Likewise, mentions of “climate change” and “global warming” were removed from the site. This was replaced with Trump’s ‘America First’ Energy Plan, which calls for eliminating regulations.
The LGBT media watchdog organization, GLAAD, pointed out that any search for “LGBT” on the White House official website doesn’t offer any result.
Trump transition signaling their intent?
Before the White House LGBT page disappeared, the page noted the major historic milestones that happened for LGBT people during the Obama administration.
Chad Griffin, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, said after Trump’s inauguration: “Moments ago, President Trump pledged to serve all Americans, while simultaneously scrubbing every mention of LGBTQ people from the White House website.”
“If President Trump truly believes in uniting the country, now is the time to make clear whether he will be an ally to the LGBTQ community in our struggle for full equality. We are prepared to do whatever it takes to protect our community and our progress,” Griffin added.
Meanwhile, Rachel B. Tiven, the CEO of Lambda Legal, said: “Donald Trump has already nominated a startlingly antigay cabinet, and erasing us from the White House website signals how he truly feels about LGBT people and everyone living with HIV.”
“He should know that Lambda Legal is watching the administration’s every move, and will fight him at every turn. To LGBT people and everyone living with HIV, we are your lawyers and we’re here to defend you,” Tiven said.