Department of Labor’s Report on Advancing LGBT Workplace Rights Disappears

In less than 30 minutes after Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States, four largely important resources of information were taken down from official White House websites. The White House Climate Change page, the White House LGBT page, the White House Immigration page, and the Department of Labor’s report on Advancing LGBT Workplace Rights have been removed from their respective homes on the web. Employees of President Obama’s administration worked tirelessly to bring this vital information to the public, and it has now been taken away from the American people. 

Workplace inequality still impacts millions of LGBTQ Americans. Mike Pence, the new Vice President of the United States, voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act which would have banned discrimination against people based on sexual orientation. From the Obama Administration Archives:

“Only 18 states and the District of Columbia have laws explicitly protecting LGBT workers from being fired because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and no federal law adequately protects LGBT workers from being fired because of who they are or who they love. According to surveys and studies, more than four in ten lesbian, gay, and bisexual people have experienced some form of employment discrimination based on their sexual orientation at some point in their lives, and 90% of transgender employees have experienced harassment, mistreatment or discrimination on the job.”

Mike Pence first voted against that law in 2007 and later said the law “wages war on freedom and religion in the workplace.” With a noted anti-LGBTQ voting politician as our new Vice President, we need employers to step up and take actions into their own hands to protect our right to fair and equal treatment in the workplace. Without the resources the Department of Labor’s report on Advancing LGBT Workplace Rights provided to employers on how to ensure a safe working environment for LGBTQ employees, it will be more difficult to set these standards at many businesses across America.