The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released a new rule that requires shelters to respect the gender identity of transgender and gender non-conforming homeless people. In response, the National LGBTQ Task Force released the following statement.
“This new HUD rule is an important step towards protecting the marginalized of the marginalized — who are the most defenseless from discrimination — homeless trans and gender nonconforming people. We know that trans and gender nonconforming people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, are disproportionately people of color and people with disabilities, and trans and gender nonconforming youth are especially vulnerable as they often are being forced to flee abusive families. By taking this action, HUD is sending the message to shelters and service providers that discrimination against the trans and gender nonconforming community is against U.S. Federal law,” said Victoria M. Rodríguez-Roldán, Trans/Gender Non-Conforming Justice Project Director, National LGBTQ Task Force.
