Discrimination Against Transgender Women Seeking Access to Homeless Shelters
A study conducted by the Center for American Progress and the Equal Rights Center found that many homeless shelters, particularly those in states lacking legal protections for LGBT people, were unwilling to provide shelter for transgender women. Researchers worked with transgender women to conduct test calls to 100 homeless shelters in four states, finding that shelters often misgendered transgender callers, insinuated that the caller would make other residents unsafe, or explicitly refused shelter to transgender applicants. The authors recommend that Congress pass legislation to ensure that LGBT people are protected from discrimination in housing and public accommodations, and that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development issue new rules on how federally funded shelters should accommodate transgender people.