Right after the passage of Indiana’s “Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” in early 2015 Rex Itczak left a small town of Lowell and escaped to Chicago, Ill.

“I felt unsafe being in my town in Indiana the month RAFA was made a law,” said Itczak. “Although people think you are afraid of something that is not happening I felt people’s view of me was changing almost overnight. I came to Chicago because I knew you will find a community that will be positive and supportive of me and my gender identity.

“We saw the overnight change between people who were quiet about their political views, then Donald Trump won, and they were all loud again,” added Itczak.

RAFA gave credence to religious doctrines as a basis for defense in legal proceedings. Gay advocates saw this law as a direct attack on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community. The legislation was drafted by three members of anti-LGBT lobbying groups.

“This law was specifically created to affect the LGBT community,”  said Jacob Kent, president of College of DuPage’s Pride Alliance. “Not even religious organizations, these people weren’t rabbis, priests, or imams, these were people specifically part of groups lobbying for legislation to negatively affect LGBT Americans.”

In November, Americans elected the Indiana governor who signed the act into as their new vice president.

Now, Itczak has a reason to fear Mike Pence, a hardline conservative, can influence gains the LGBT community has made over the years.

Pence once said gay couples signaled a “societal collapse,”  and most recently opposed former President Barack Obama’s directive on transgender bathrooms.

To counter argue this perception, Pence tweeted “Faith & religion are important values to millions of IN residents. W/passage of RFRA, IN will continue to respect beliefs of all Hoosiers.”

President Donald Trump has positioned himself as someone who, at times, appears to be a friend to the LGBT community. But there are also some signs that he could become a new foe. Throughout his heated campaign, he managed to sail through as a candidate who tolerated the rights of the LGBT community.

In fact, after the Elton John-David Furnish marriage, the New York Times quoted Trump’s reaction by saying “I know both of them, and they get along wonderfully. It’s a marriage that’s going to work. I’m very happy for them. If two people dig each other, they dig each other.”

On the contrary, just days into his presidency, the LGBT page on the White House’s website was taken down.

“Trump gets swayed one way or the other by his vice president and supporting cabinet members,” said Itczak.

The Federal Amendment Defense Act (FADA) is synonymous to RAFA and could be something an all-Republican government could swiftly pass into law.

According to the U.S. Congress’ website FADA “Prohibits the federal government from taking discriminatory action against a person on the basis that such person believes or acts in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that: (1) marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or (2) sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage.”

“Like RAFA at the state level in Indiana, I have every expectation that it was designed to and will negatively affect LGBT Americans at the national level,” added Kent.

Of interest to every American including the LGBT community is the plethora of criticisms about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) coupled with the fact that the Act has a good intent, but needs repair. The LGBT community here on campus is concerned about how amendments or a promise to repeal the Act in its totality will contribute to the resurgence of a silent killer that has affected the community.

“Because of the restrictions on the ACA at the state level in Indiana http://usat.ly/1RqsQU2,  we had a huge spike in HIV/AIDS,” added Itczak. “And I do think that since the LGBT community is most at risk of that kind of infection if it is repealed, it will just be hard to find care that is not going to be under the guise of religious affiliation.”

Another student and a member of the LGBT community said he fears unequal access to healthcare will result if the Act is repealed.

“It opens the door for LGBT people to be denied healthcare, citizens may not be able to get the same benefits the ACA brought,” said Andrew Lagunas, a student here at COD.

At the end of November’s election, results showed that 14 percent of LGBT voters voted for Trump according to exit polls released by NBC.

Members of COD’s LGBT community said they are hopeful Trump will not craft laws based on religion but rather fair and equal treatment for all Americans regardless of their gender identities.

These students noted how COD is a haven for them. The college has an alliance that supports the group and has a plan to create more transgendered bathrooms in addition to the  two existing ones.