HUD will allow homeless shelters to discriminate against transgender people

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced plans to let homeless shelters discriminate against transgender people. The rule allows shelters that receive HUD funds to consider factors including safety, religious beliefs, the individual’s sex as reflected in official government documents, as well as the gender which a person identifies with, when making placement or acceptance decisions.

“Critics warn the proposal, which would effectively allow shelters to force transgender women to share bathing and sleeping facilities with men, could put transgender people at a higher risk for homelessness and abuse. The rule could also allow single-sex shelters to turn away transgender people entirely,” according to BuzzFeedNews.

This plan was the latest in the Trump administration’s attack on transgender rights that were established under the Obama administration. The administration generally believes that religious belief trumps all other rights, including those against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Its attacks on trans people include excluding them from military service and refusing them protections based on their gender identity even though many courts have ruled that they have that protection under civil rights laws.

The HUD rule allows consideration of a person’s biological sex rather than the gender that a person identifies with.

“President Trump is putting trans lives at risk yet again,” said the Democratic National Committee’s LGBTQ Media Director, Lucas Acosta in a statement.

“Study after study has shown that LGBTQ people, especially transgender youth, have a higher chance of experiencing homelessness over the course of their lives. Additionally, 7 in 10 transgender individuals who stayed in a shelter last year were kicked out, physically or sexually assaulted, or faced another form of mistreatment because of their gender identity.

“By allowing shelters to turn away transgender people, the Trump administration has shown once again it regards them as second class citizens who don’t deserve the most basic services or protections.”

The new rule comes only days after the House of Representatives passed the Equality Act, which would extend civil rights protections to people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The act, if passed by the Senate and signed by the president, would ban the use of religious belief to justify discrimination.

Acosta continued, “Only days ago, Democrats in the U.S. House voted to pass the Equality Act, a bill that would counter this exact policy. Our community must stand together, call our Senators, and demand a vote on the Equality Act in the Republican-controlled Senate. These attacks by the Trump administration must be stopped.”

The National Center for Transgender Equality explains why homelessness and finding shelter is a critical issue for transgender people: “One in five transgender individuals have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives. Family rejection and discrimination and violence have contributed to a large number of transgender and other LGBQ-identified youth who are homeless in the United States – an estimated 20-40% of the more than 1.6 million homeless youth.

“Unfortunately, social service and homeless shelters that work with this population often fail to culturally and appropriately serve transgender homeless people, including denying them shelter based on their gender identity; inappropriately housing them in a gendered space they do not identify with; and failing to address co-occurring issues facing transgender homeless adults and youth.”

As recently as yesterday, HUD Secretary Ben Carson, in an appearance before a House committee, denied the department had any plans to change transgender protections.

Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) told The Washington Post, “Yesterday, I asked Secretary Carson directly if he was anticipating any changes to HUD’s Equal Access Rule and he said no. The announcement today that HUD will now allow anti-trans discrimination in shelters demonstrates that he either lied to Congress or has no idea what policies his agency is pursuing. Either way, it’s unacceptable.”

Copyright The Gayly – May 22, 2019 @ 4:05 p.m. CDT.