Trump Administration Rescinds Gender Identity Housing Rule, Mandates Operations Based on Biological Sex

The Donald Trump administration in the United States has ordered an immediate halt to the application of housing rules based on gender identity, directing all federally funded housing programs and shelters to operate based on biological sex.

This decision overturns the Obama administration's 'Equal Access Rule,' which had expanded eligibility for federally funded housing facilities based on gender identity, and is expected to bring changes to how housing and shelters are accessed.

U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner has ordered the immediate suspension of the Obama administration's 2016 housing regulation concerning gender identity. This directive instructs HUD to operate its programs based on biological sex.

This measure suspends all future enforcement of the 2016 Equal Access Rule, which officially recognized gender identity in federally funded housing programs and shelters, and is being implemented as part of President Donald Trump's executive order.

Secretary Turner criticized the 2016 Equal Access Rule for associating housing programs, shelters, and HUD-funded facilities with 'left-wing gender ideology,' adding that the 2016 rule allowed individuals to self-identify their gender when accessing certain housing services.