Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, and Congressional Equality Caucus Chair Mark Takano (D-CA) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner signed by over 110 House Democrats urging the immediate withdrawal of HUD’s proposed rule, “Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs Revisions,” which would gut existing protections for LGBTQ+ individuals and require HUD-funded shelters to discriminate against transgender people. 

In the letter the lawmakers warn that the new mandate would effectively dismantle the existing Equal Access Rule, which has successfully protected LGBTQ+ individuals from discrimination in HUD-programs and HUD-subsidized housing and shelters since 2012. The proposed rule seeks to force HUD-funded facilities to discriminate, locking transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals out of lifesaving shelters. 
 

“ If the proposed rule is implemented, LGBTQ+ individuals and families may be locked out of lifesaving shelters and critical federal housing programs, including Section 8 housing and other housing programs, fair housing enforcement and administration, mortgage programs, homelessness and domestic violence programs, and community development programs. HUD program participants, including homeless service providers, will struggle to navigate conflicting local, state, and federal requirements. Furthermore…the number of individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness will increase,” wrote the lawmakers. 

As the United States faces severe affordable housing shortages and worsening inflation, House Democrats are demanding that HUD refocus on its statutory mission to affirmatively further fair housing rather than creating policies that would lock people out of critical housing programs and shelter. House Democrats warn that the rollback will severely exacerbate the nation's unsheltered homelessness crisis, subject both transgender and cisgender individuals to invasive and humiliating gender-verification physical examinations, and threaten the safety of highly vulnerable populations. 

“As the U.S. faces an affordable housing and homelessness crisis and worsening inflation, HUD should be focused on using the tools given to it by Congress to help alleviate the housing crisis and ease homelessness,” wrote the lawmakers. “Instead, the agency has chosen to propose a rule that would eviscerate protections for the LGBTQ+ community, ignore legal precedent, increase red tape and federal overreach for providers, and exasperate homelessness in communities across the country.” 

Additionally, the letter notes that HUD is acting beyond its Congressional authority and directly contradicting established federal law. The lawmakers conclude the letter by urging HUD to abandon the discriminatory proposal and return to its original mission of creating strong, sustainable, and inclusive communities with quality affordable homes for all. 

The Representatives who signed on to the letter include: Maxine Waters (D-CA); Mark Takano (D-CA Gabe Amo D-RI; Yassamin Ansari D-AZ; Becca Balint D-VT; Nanette Barragán D-CA; Joyce Beatty D-OH; Wesley Bell D-MO; Donald Beyer D-VA; Suzanne Bonamici D-OR; Brendan Boyle D-PA; Julia Brownley D-CA; Shontel Brown D-OH; Salud Carbajal D-CA; André Carson D-IN; Judy Chu D-CA; Gilbert Cisneros D-CA; Yvette Clarke D-NY; Emanuel Cleaver D-MO; Steve Cohen D-TN; J. Luis Correa D-CA; Joe Courtney D-CT; Angie Craig D-MN; Jasmine Crockett D-TX; Sharice Davids D-KS; Danny Davis D-IL; Madeleine Dean D-PA; Diana DeGette D-CO; Suzan DelBene D-WA; Mark DeSaulnier D-CA; Maxine Dexter D-OR; Lloyd Doggett D-TX; Sarah Elfreth D-MD; Adriano Espaillat D-NY; Dwight Evans D-PA; Lizzie Fletcher D-TX; Valerie Foushee D-NC; Laura Friedman D-CA; Maxwell Frost D-FL; John Garamendi D-CA; Robert Garcia D-CA; Sylvia Garcia D-TX; Daniel Goldman D-NY; Jimmy Gomez D-CA; Josh Gottheimer D-NJ; Al Green D-TX; Adelita Grijalva D-AZ; Jahana Hayes D-CT; Val Hoyle D-OR; Jonathan Jackson D-IL; Sara Jacobs D-CA; Pramila Jayapal D-WA; Henry Johnson D-GA; Julie Johnson D-TX; Sydney Kamlager-Dove D-CA; William Keating D-MA; Robin Kelly D-IL; Timothy Kennedy D-NY; Raja Krishnamoorthi D-IL; Greg Landsman D-OH; Rick Larsen D-WA; John Larson D-CT; George Latimer D-NY; Teresa Leger Fernandez D-NM; Ted Lieu D-CA; Stephen Lynch D-MA; Seth Magaziner D-RI; Doris Matsui D-CA; Sarah McBride D-DE; Jennifer McClellan D-VA; Morgan McGarvey D-KY; James McGovern D-MA; LaMonica McIver D-NJ; Christian Menefee D-TX; Robert Menendez D-NJ; Grace Meng D-NY; Kweisi Mfume D-MD; Gwen Moore D-WI; Joseph Morelle D-NY; Kelly Morrison D-MN; Seth Moulton D-MA; Kevin Mullin D-CA; Eleanor Holmes Norton D-DC; Johnny Olszewski D-MD; Frank Pallone D-NJ; Chris Pappas D-NH; Scott Peters D-CA; Chellie Pingree D-ME; Mark Pocan D-WI; Ayanna Pressley D-MA; Delia Ramirez D-IL; Emily Randall D-WA; Jamie Raskin D-MD; Andrea Salinas D-OR; Linda Sánchez D-CA; Mary Gay Scanlon D-PA; Jan Schakowsky D-IL; Bradley Schneider D-IL; Hillary Scholten D-MI; Robert Scott D-VA; Terri Sewell D-AL; Lateefah Simon D-CA; Adam Smith D-WA; Eric Sorensen D-IL; Darren Soto D-FL; Melanie Stansbury D-NM; Shri Thanedar D-MI; Bennie Thompson D-MS; Dina Titus D-NV; Rashida Tlaib D-MI; Jill Tokuda D-HI; Paul Tonko D-NY; Ritchie Torres D-NY; Lori Trahan D-MA; Marc Veasey D-TX; Nydia Velázquez D-NY; James Walkinshaw D-VA; Debbie Wasserman Schultz D-FL; Bonnie Watson Coleman D-NJ; Nikema Williams D-GA; Frederica Wilson D-FL. 

Read the full letter HERE. 

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