Correction appended.
On the first day in office, President Donald J. Trump’s team removed the LGBT section of the White House website according to CBS News, which is alarming for those in the LGBT community.
Along with the LGBT section, the Civil Rights and Climate change sections of the White House Website were removed.
During the Obama administration, the website detailed all of the steps it had taken to move forward with LGBT rights. It is unclear whether the LGBT section will return, but for the time being the page results in a 404 “page not found” error.
“There are a lot of folks who are freaking out (about the inauguration),” delfin bautista, the director of the LGBT center said.
The LGBT Center at Ohio University has started to take steps to introduce a “self care” series. They aim to make politics a part of self care and to start the conversation about how “the political is personal.” Self-care “refers to the act of looking after one’s mental health,” according to a previous Post article.
“Hopefully this is one of the first conversations like that,” bautista, who uses they/them pronouns and the lowercase spelling of their name, said.
On Wednesday there will be a discussion held in Baker 231 at 12 p.m. sponsored by the LGBT Center, Diversity/Critical Studies, the Multicultural Center, the Center for International Studies, the Women’s Center and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies.
“The idea of the conversation with the idea of keeping the rainbow alive,” bautista said.
Despite some of the opinions of President Trump’s administration, according to The Los Angeles Times, it will be impossible to repeal same-sex marriage decision the Supreme Court made in June 2015. Even though this right will be protected indefinitely, not all rights will be.
“If you have one of the identities that has been attacked by the last campaign, then it is even more critical to take care of yourself,” Theo Hutchinson, an associate professor of educational studies said.
President Trump has promised to remove the Affordable Care Act, which, according to CNN, has protections for LGBT people who are trying to get health care.
“We know that issues of mental illness in the LGBT community are higher,” bautista said. Mental health issues are another concern with the removal of the Affordable Care Act. There is a non-discrimination arrangement in the ACA that accommodates gender identity and sexual orientation, according to CNN.
Jennifer Golemboski, a sophomore studying exercise physiology, believes that self-care relates to overall mental health.
“Good self-care can really improve the overall health of your life,” Golemboski said.
bautista also raised the fact that LGBT people have no legal protections when it comes to hate crimes, which is yet another reason for why students are afraid.
“Hate crime laws don’t include LGBT people here within the state of Ohio (which) has a direct impact on the well being of folks,” bautista said.
Hutchinson suggested that if students are nervous about the new administration, they should go to Hudson Health Center to talk to a counselor or talk to friends.
“Each student needs to find how they relieve stress,” Hutchinson said.
He said he believes people are most afraid of the unknown.
“We are in this state where we really don’t know that will happen,” Hutchison said. “As things play out there will be more opportunities to fight for social justice.”
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly spelled delfin bautista's name. The article has been updated to show the most accurate information.
