Today, the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a proposed new rule for federally-funded homeless shelters that would encourage shelters to deny admission to transgender people.
The proposed rule cannot change the Fair Housing Act, which continues to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in housing—including shelters—but the proposed rule will cause serious harm by improperly sending the message to shelters that they can freely discriminate against transgender people.
Sasha Buchert, Senior Attorney, Lambda Legal, issued the following statement:
“Today, HUD announced its plan to invite shelters to discriminate against transgender people using federal tax dollars. The actions of this administration are as cruel as they are lawless. Transgender people suffer disproportionately high rates of homelessness, and are subjected to similarly high rates of abuse, harassment and violence, especially transgender women of color. For the Trump-Pence administration to encourage shelters to shut their doors to an already vulnerable population during a deadly and raging pandemic is unconscionable. With today’s announcement, this administration is not only yet again betraying our nation’s core commitment to liberty and justice for all, but also, and more fundamentally, the country’s commitment to the safety and security of all who live here.”
For Lambda Legal’s work against religion-based discrimination in child welfare services, see here, and here.
For Lambda Legal’s work in health care services, see here.
For our challenge to the ban on open military service by transgender people, see here.
