Comment Submitted by A Woman's Place

I am writing about the Equal Access Rule issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This proposal would remove critical protections that ensure fair and equal access to housing and services, particularly for transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people. By redefining “sex” in a restrictive way and allowing providers to require documentation or proof, the rule opens the door to discrimination, denial of services, and unsafe conditions for people seeking housing assistance. By revoking the Equal Access Rule’s protections against discrimination, which ensure safe access to shelter for trans and intersex people experiencing homelessness, DV, and fleeing disasters, this would remove protections for sexual orientation and gender identity, allow providers like us to demand “evidence” of a person’s sex, redefine “sex” in a way to enable discrimination, attempt to override state, local, and Tribal protections, and overall make it harder for us to provide housing and shelter services to our survivors. Bucks County, PA