The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has a proposed rule change that would eliminate the protections for transgender people currently in place under the Equal Access Rule. This would leave trans people seeking shelter vulnerable to being denied placement and forced out onto the streets.
A 2016 update of the Equal Access Rule protects LGBTQ people from discrimination in HUD-funded services, and explicitly protects transgender people from discrimination in homeless shelters.
This proposed change is the latest move by the Trump administration to allow discrimination against LGBTQ individuals under the false pretenses of religious liberty and concern for women’s safety.
Equality Texans recently gathered online for a briefing with attorney DJ Healey to discussed the details of the proposed rule and to go through the process of creating comments together. At the end of the webinar, attendees we able to hit “Submit” and make their voices heard on this important issue.
You can watch the webinar here so that you feel confident in submitting your own public comment. The first half covers the background information. If you are already familiar with the proposed rule, jump to 31:20 to learn more about the rules regarding submitting a public comment, 37:20 to walk through the writing process and hear suggestions about what to say, or 49:35 to find out exactly how to submit your comment.
The public comment period ends on September 22nd. Please submit your comment now.