Today, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a new rule to ensure equal access to federally assisted housing for all Americans regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The rule will go into effect in March and will help end discrimination against LGBT people in federal housing.
Provisions in the rule include:
- Making it clear that housing financed or insured by HUD must be made available to eligible people regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status
- Prohibiting owners and operators of housing funded or financed by HUD from asking about a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or denying them housing because of it
- Redefining “family” to include LGBT individuals and couples as eligible beneficiaries of HUD’s public housing and housing choice voucher programs
I am extremely pleased that the Obama Administration is taking these steps to end housing discrimination against LGBT people. For too long, LGBT people have lived in fear that they would be turned away from the housing they need because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Indeed, 40 percent of homeless youth are LGBT, and half of them report experiencing homelessness as a direct result of their gender identity or expression. Even worse, many of them report harassment, difficulty, or sexual assault when trying to access homeless shelters. While these are egregious problems that necessitate further action, HUD’s announcement today goes a long way in ensuring equal treatment of these individuals in federal and federally assisted housing programs.
I am proud of my record of protecting equality and will continue to work with the president and my colleagues in Congress to ensure all Americans are treated with dignity and respect.
Click here to read HUD’s new rule in full.