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Pam covered this from a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) perspective in her diary Obama Admin to ensure inclusion of the LGBT community in HUD programs, but I’m covering this same story from the specific perspecitve of how this change of policy is going to likely effect trans people.
~~Autumn~~
Housing is a basic right and a basic human need and these numbers show just how blatant the discrimination is that transgender people face every single day. Today’s actions by HUD will make a difference in a tremendous number of lives. We are so pleased that the Obama administration continues to express through both action and words that it is committed to making sure that all federal government programs are accessible to all people.~Mara Keisling, Executive Director of the National Center For Transgender Equality
Words mean things. Words Matter. Actions backing words matter.
From the National Center For Transgender Equality‘s press release:
The National Center for Transgender Equality praises the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for its announcement today that it will ensure that its programs are available to all, including LGBT people. Today’s announcement is historic, since HUD is the first federal agency so far to officially propose guidelines that would explicitly address discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.“The evidence is clear that some are denied the opportunity to make housing choices in our nation based on who they are and that must end,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. “President Obama and I are determined that a qualified individual and family will not be denied housing choice based on sexual orientation or gender identity.”
The proposals announced today include:
• Requiring that all who participate in HUD’s programs comply with all existing local and state non-discrimination ordinances;• Specifying that Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured mortgage loans are given based on the credit-• worthiness of the applicants, and not on other factors, such as sexual orientation and gender identity;
Clarifying that in the public housing and Housing Choice Voucher program, the use of the term “family” includes all eligible lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, couples and families; subsidized housing would be made available to all who need it, without discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.• Also vitally important is today’s announcement by HUD that they are commissioning a national study of the discrimination that LGBT people face in housing, the first of its kind. To date there have been no federal studies to evaluate the extent of the problem.
Housing is an iffy, splintery thing for trans people who will be covered by this change in policy. From a forthcomming study of 6,500 transgender people by NCTE and The Task Force:
Among the findings:
• Only 32% of our sample reported home ownership, compared to 68% of the general population;
• 19% report being denied an apartment or home because they are transgender;
• 19% have become homeless at some point in their lives.
This is why these new actions by the Obama Administration is so urgently needed for trans people.
When others in the LGBT community complain that the President Obama has not doe enough for community, I’m going to remember what he done administratively to this point for transgender people, including gender identity protections for transgender people in the federal workforce. I want him to do more for broader community, and I’m not satisfied at the current progress, but at the same time I’m going to remember this president’s administration has done more for trans people than any other president has.
~~~~~
Related:
* Obama Admin to ensure inclusion of the LGBT community in HUD programs
* NCTE And NGLTF: Documenting Transgender Discrimination
* The Words The President (& Others) Won’t Speak: “Transgender” & “Gender Identity And Expression”
* Where Is The Executive Order For Federal Gender Identity & Expression Based Employment Protections?
* ENDA: Waking Up Too Early To Possible Trans Subcommunity Erasure
* ENDA: Libertarian Gay & Lesbian Thought Vs. Progressive LGBT Community Thought
* Pam’s House Blend tag:
4 Comments
What?I can get hud now even though I changed my name. Too bad they use credit reports I doubt there are many obviously trans individuals with good credit. And we all know getting work when trans rarely gets reflected in the data mining they call credit reports.
Of course the local offices will be ignorant of current rules that contradict their “christian” “values”. So don’t expect to be treated humanely unless you have a supreme court justice on a leash.
As someone evicted for being transthis is of importance to me, personally, and i’m rather pleased to see at least this much done, though I worry that it will change when the office holder does.
And as a woman who is, still, technically homeless (were it not for, um, well, trade in kind, really, I would be) and who has worked with the much less fortunate majority of transfolk locally, I’m not entirely pleased that this does not go far enough to address the very real needs of the poorest, as multifamily housing is only affected here when it seeks to derive income from such programs.
What I do see here, though, and what is of critical importance in my mind, is opportunity for those in the community to come together on a local basis and use this to create housing solutions which take advantage of the programs that are affected by this decision.
Community bock grants are wide and far ranging, and this allows for the creation of housing efforts to ensure that transfolk, and the greater LGBT population, are not left out in the cold.
Maybe i am Just Stupid ,, Butt??? I not sure what to make of the wording in this legislation … In it It says
“• Requiring that all who participate in HUD’s programs comply with all existing local and state non-discrimination ordinances;”
To me living in Oklahoma Local and State leaves me in the same place i was before ???? I kinda think so. So hip hip hooray for the passage but did it really do anything ???
You’re not stupid, you’ve got it rightUntil and unless a federal comprehensive, inclusive ENDA containing protections in employment and housing is passed, nothing is guaranteed. If there is no state or local anti-discrimination ordinance, you’re SOL as far as this Agency rule stands. (BTW, it’s not legislation; it won’t be part of the federal code. It’s just a proposed Agency rule relevant ONLY to HUD.)
However, the proposed national study will provide some much-needed impetus for that to happen.
Already sent a letter to Secretary Donovan saying how much I appreciated this. And we need to get our ENDA sponsors to add an amendment for housing on to it.