By Fiona Espinoza-Castro
Staff Writer
Information was taken down from several United States government websites shortly after President Donald Trump took office, affecting 8,000 web pages across dozens of sites that provide information on vaccines, scientific research, hate crimes and many other topics. These website purges have been driven by federal agencies rushing to incorporate Trump’s executive orders, which target “gender ideology” and other diversity issues, according to The New York Times.
Within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3,000 pages and a thousand research articles have been removed. The New York Times revealed that removed articles included information on sexually transmitted disease treatment guidelines, vaccine guidelines for pregnant people, preventing chronic diseases, Alzheimer’s warning signs and overdose prevention training.
The CDC has also removed various research papers that include terms like “pregnant person,” “LGBT,” “transgender,” “gender” and more, according to them.us. This withdrawal order was sent via email by the agency’s chief science office and includes papers either written or co-written by CDC scientists. The order stated that scientists who have co-authored documents outside the CDC must renounce the work by removing their names from the manuscript.
Researchers have been described as “scrambling” to archive whatever is left of their work, according to AP News. As the Trump administration’s goal was to delete gender and transgender terminology, researchers are worried that other politically related topics like vaccines or climate change could be altered from their original state.
The measures have become so extreme that the U.S. Census Bureau is now erasing data. According to the New York Times, the U.S. Census Bureau has already removed over 3,000 pages, mainly consisting of articles related to research and methodology. Their main page was down and links to reports including details about gender identity, sexual orientation and mental health struggles amongst LGBTQ+ individuals were all “currently unavailable due to maintenance,” AP News reported.
The Department of Education has witnessed various LGBTQ+ websites taken down. These webpages included resources for youth experiencing homelessness and a Transgender Day of Visibility roundtable, them.us reported. While research papers in the federal government’s Institute of Education Sciences are still accessible, the Trump administration is expected to affect this website as well.
Trump also intends to initiate the process of dismantling the Department of Education. The president has been wanting to turn education “back to the states” since his first term, according to them.us. For Trump to be successful, he will need the approval of Congress. Republicans have the upper hand with a three-seat majority in the House of Representatives.
On the Department of Education’s website, one removed page included “Resources for LGBTQI+ Students,” which is a guide on civil rights laws based on “Race, Color, or National Origin Discrimination,” according to AP News. The Trump administration has directly labeled diversity, equity and inclusion programs “discriminatory,” according to AP News.
With the potential for further data purges under Trump’s authority, concerns have risen about diminishing access to resources. According to the New York Times, the restrictions are still in their early stages. Pages that were removed to comply with the executive order may stay offline for some time as changes are implemented but could return online.
