Getting the Word Out on Fight Against LGBT Discrimination

February 2011: HUD continues to let the public know about its initiative to ensure equal access of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people to its programs, according to a recent blog posting by Kenneth J. Carroll, Director of HUD’s Fair Housing Assistance Program Division, Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. Earlier this month, John Trasviña, Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, hosted a roundtable discussion in Los Angeles on LGBT housing issues, while Carroll gave a presentation on HUD’s work at Creating Change, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Conference on LGBT Equality, in Minneapolis.
Meanwhile, a new study reveals pervasive discrimination against transgender people, according to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE). The new study, “Injustice at Every Turn,” reports on discrimination in a wide range of areas, including housing, employment, and health care. The study was based on the results from the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS), the first large-scale national study of discrimination against transgender and gender-nonconforming Americans.
Among its key findings:
• Half of those surveyed reported experiencing harassment or other mistreatment in the workplace, and one in four were fired because of their gender identity or expression.
• Housing discrimination was also common—19 percent reported being refused a home or apartment, and 11 percent reported being evicted because of their gender identity or expression; one in five respondents experienced homelessness because of their gender identity or expression.
• Discrimination in health care and poor health outcomes were frequently experienced by respondents—19 percent reported being refused care due to bias against transgender or gender-nonconforming people, with this figure even higher for respondents of color.
Said Rea Carey, Executive Director of the Task Force: “By shedding light on the discrimination that transgender Americans face, this study poses a challenge to us all. No one should be out of a job, living in poverty, or faced with sub-par health care simply because of their gender identity or expression. The scope of the problem is clear, and now we must come together to solve it.”

Sources: HUD; National Gay and Lesbian Task Force