President Barack Obama’s Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires operators at the homeless shelters to allow men who say that they are transgender to use the same bedrooms, showers and toilets as women, according to the new rules set.

Minimizing discrimination for transgender women

Gay-advocacy organizations who support transgender ideologies praised the rules. These ideologies insist that the government has to use the power it has to minimize the distinction of legal and civic identification for men and women.

The Human Rights Campaign’s government affairs director, David Stacy said that the rules indicates that transgender women are still women even though they were born males.

The activist added that it is a traumatizing experience for a transgender woman who goes to a homeless shelter and be treated as a man. Facing discrimination for them is an actual problem since they are already vulnerable being homeless as well as jobless.

The Fair Housing Act

The homeless shelter rules immediately followed the Fair Housing Act that indicates how rental apartments should not be denied to felons due to their criminal histories.

This housing act notes, too, that potential renters can’t be denied due to their gender, race or religion. Even with the absence of clarification from the Congress, Obama’s deputies are mostly declaring that any refusal to accept a claim of a person’s preferred sex legally translates to discrimination due to their biological sex. Now, the regulators seek to extend this transgender coverage to homeless shelters funded by the government.

The potential effects of the new rules at homeless shelters

The homeless shelters’ operators are worried that the rules will result in dangerous situations for homeless women seeking shelters in order to get away from abusive relationships.

The American Family Association’s president, Tim Wildmon is worried how the new rules might be abused easily and put women who seek a safe place in danger of harassment by sexual predators, in worse cases.

Conclusion

While the new rules may lessen discrimination for transgender women who are homeless and don’t have access to a private home bathroom with fancy shower screens and other facilities, it also poses possible threats for women seeking shelter. Hopefully, there are better ways to handle or prevent those potential situations from happening.