Secretary Scott Turner directed the Department of Housing and Urban Development to stop enforcement of its 2016 Equal Access Rule on Thursday, which would shut out transgender people from access to housing programs and shelters that rely on federal government funding.
The directive comes just days after Turner was confirmed to lead HUD and is his first major announcement as secretary. The department, which said the policy change would ensure HUD would only “offer services to Americans based on their sex at birth: male or female,” is in line with other anti-trans positions the Trump administration has taken.
“I am directing HUD staff to halt any pending or future enforcement actions related to HUD’s 2016 Equal Access Rule, which, in essence, tied housing programs, shelters and other facilities funded by HUD to far-left gender ideology,” Turner said in a statement.