Donald Trump

Trump Admin. Moves to Repeal Transgender Protections in Homeless Shelters

If the proposal is implemented, transgender women could be placed in sex-segregated shelters for men

Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

The Trump administration plans to move forward with a measure that would permit federally funded homeless shelters to house transgender clients according to their sex assigned at birth.

The Department of Housing and Development proposal would reverse a 2016 measure implemented under the Obama administration that built on provisions enacted four years earlier. The 2012 Equal Access Rule mandated that shelters are "open to all eligible individuals and families regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status," and the administration issued further guidance clarifying that the rule barred shelters from denying access to trans people in accordance with their gender identity.

HUD announced Wednesday that it intends to effectively strike the 2016 trans-inclusive guidelines. When it comes to housing transgender people in single-sex or sex-segregated shelters, HUD Secretary Ben Carson said in a statement that the Obama administration's guidelines "mandate a single approach that overrides local law and concerns."

The document seeks to sidestep accusations of anti-trans discrimination by saying single-sex shelters that accommodate women based on their "biological sex" cannot refuse to "accommodate a person who identifies as male but who is a biological female."

Read the full story at NBCNews.com.

Contact Us