Trump Administration Purges LGBTQ Rights, Health Care, Climate Change White House Web Pages

By Julie Brown Patton
White House Obama LGBT Web Page
Within the first hour of U.S. President Donald Trump being sworn in on Jan. 20, 2017, certain public web pages were eliminated -- most notably prior pages, such as the one shown here, for gay rights, civil rights, health care and climate change. Think Progress

A WhiteHouse.gov page previously about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights is non-existent after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in. The whitehouse.gov/lgbt page reportedly was gone within an hour of Trump taking office. It was replaced by a Trump "transitionsplash" page. Other previously available White House webpages about climate change, civil rights and health care, also were taken down.

An online search of the current White House website at the time this article was published still resulted in the "no results found" for LGBTQ-related terms. No updates have been offered by White House staffers about whether the pages in question were archived or set in some holding pattern.

Activist Jay Franzone also reports the Department of Labor's report, "Advancing LGBT Workplace Rights," also was removed. He is the director of Communications of National Gay Blood Drive in Washington, D.C.

One social media user posted the following question on Friday: "Where are all the gay trump supporters that were just telling us here for the last several days how gay friendly trump is and we have nothing to worry about?"

Obama administrators introduced the White House LGBT page to highlight major legislative achievements, historic court victories and important policy changes for gay and transgender people. The page also shared campaigns for gay rights, such as the "It Gets Better" campaign, to help people in the LGBT community struggling with suicidal thoughts, reports TechCrunch.

Trump was praised by the Republican group who call themselves the Log Cabin Republicans as the "most pro-LGBT nominee in the history of the Republican party." Though those same Log Cabin Republicans also refused to endorse him as a candidate.

LGBT community residents have expressed major concerns about a Trump presidency, especially given Vice President Mike Pence, in his role as Indiana governor, opposed laws protecting the LGBT community.

The White House's Climate change page also was deleted, yielding the result of "The requested page '/energy/climate-change' could not be found." NewNowNext reports the page on climate change was replaced with a page entitled "An America First Energy Plan," which "ignores" climate change entirely and declares President Trump "is committed to eliminating harmful and unnecessary policies, such as the Climate Action Plan."

The civil rights section of the White House website now carries information on "Standing Up For Our Law Enforcement Community," calling for increased police, with words "black" and "African-American" no longer appear on any policy page on WhiteHouse.gov, states NewNowNext. As Daily Beast reports, "[It] paints predominantly black inner cities as shooting galleries."

Some information still exists on certain government sites, including details for LGBT travelers on the State Department website, and a resources page for trans- and gender-nonconforming students on the Department of Education website.

  • [Exclusive Interview] A revelation within the brink of life and death — Meg Leung’s mission in Christian art

    Meg Leung (梁麗橋), an artist with a lifelong love for watercolor painting, sees her art as more than a means of expressing her inner world; it is a bridge connecting her to God. Her artistic journey has revealed God’s perfect plan and inspired her to communicate the power of faith through her wor

  • Transgenderism a fundamental human right? Hong Kong public disagrees, survey finds

    A 2024 survey from the Society for Truth and Light (明光社)'s Center for Life and Ethics Research reveals that respondents from various backgrounds prioritize personal safety and fairness when it comes to transgender issues. When laws involve moral judgments, most respondents believe courts should not make the decisions. The study also indicates that religious believers share similar views with non-religious respondents, reflecting that many churches may rarely address gender topics in depth.

  • Discipleship and Evangelism: Walking the Path of the Great Commission

    Like an ever-flowing spring, the gospel refreshes dry, parched lands and needs our unwavering passion and steadfast faith to transform lives and bring renewal. The "flame in our hearts" calls Christians to keep their faith and love for the Lord ablaze, representing the work and power of the Holy Spirit, driving us to proclaim God's glory boldly.

  • North America Chinese Evangelical Seminary year-end report highlights significant ministry progress

    As the year draws to a close, Rev. James Liu, President of the Chinese Evangelical Seminary North America (CESNA), reflected on the seminary’s remarkable growth and ministry development over the past year. Dedicated to providing theological education to Chinese Christians, CESNA continues to uphold its mission to remain faithful to the gospel and nurture believers. This year’s achievements span academic, ministerial, and outreach endeavors, fostering spiritual growth and advancing missionary wo