Equality California Requests Senators to Question HUD Secretary Nominee Ben Carson on LGBT Housing Issues

Washington, D.C. - January 12, 2017 - In connection with Thursday's confirmation hearings, Equality California has requested that senators thoroughly address the record of Secretary of Housing and Urban Development nominee Dr. Ben Carson on LGBT civil rights, and, if confirmed, whether he would continue existing HUD policies and programs protecting LGBT people and their families from discrimination in housing.

Carson has a long history of anti-LGBT comments, including statements comparing marriage for same-sex couples to pedophilia and bestiality, opposing adoption by LGBT people and expressing open support for "license to discriminate" laws such as the "Religious Freedom Restoration Act" signed by Vice President-Elect Mike Pence as governor of Indiana.

"Dr. Carson's statements leave us extremely concerned about putting him at the head of an agency whose role is to oversee fair housing laws and homelessness programs," said Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California. "LGBT people and those living with HIV still face significant discrimination in housing. We are particularly concerned about vulnerable LGBT youth in homeless shelters. Estimates indicate that as much as 40 percent of homeless youth are LGBT. HUD must continue to enforce its recently-passed rules providing critical protections to LGBT people."

In a letter sent to members of the U.S. Senate, Equality California urges them to press Carson to commit to ensuring that HUD's core housing programs and services are kept open to all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, and whether he will:

continue current policies prohibiting landlords receiving federal funds from inquiring about an applicant's sexual orientation or gender identity, or denying them housing on that basis

adhere to HUD's 2012 'Equal Access Rule' that requires HUD-financed or insured housing be made available without regard to actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status

continue existing HUD policy that sexual orientation and gender identity should not and cannot be part of any lending decision related to securing an FHA-insured mortgage

continue to protect people living with HIV or AIDS, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity, as required under the 1968 Fair Housing Act's disability protections

adhere to HUD's recently published rule that requires access for transgender and gender non-conforming people to sex-segregated shelters and other facilities based on their gender identity.

HUD also recently announced guidance clarifying that blanket policies denying housing opportunities based on criminal histories may violate the Fair Housing Act because they have a disparate impact on racial and ethnic minorities. This guidance has a significant positive impact on the LGBT community because LGBT people have disproportionately high instances of interactions with the criminal justice system. Equality California strongly feels that HUD must continue to apply the guidance to investigate claims of discrimination from people being denied housing because of past criminal records.

In the hearings and their private meetings with him, Equality California requests senators to pose the following questions to Carson:

Will he continue to enforce the commonly accepted interpretation of discrimination based on sex to include discrimination based on gender identity?

Will he maintain rules allowing transgender people access to housing and shelters according to their gender identity and without respect to sexual orientation?

Does he appreciate HUD's role as a guarantor that communities are accessible to all people and families regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity and marital status?

Equality California requested that senators address these issues because of the importance of maintaining existing HUD policies that protect LGBT people from discrimination – especially youth -- as well as people living with, or perceived to be living with, HIV and AIDS.

Equality California is the nation's largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization dedicated to creating a fair and just society. Our mission is to achieve and maintain full and lasting equality, acceptance and social justice for all people in our diverse LGBT communities, inside and outside of California. Our mission includes advancing the health and well-being of LGBT Californians through direct healthcare service advocacy and education. Through electoral, advocacy, education and mobilization programs, we strive to create a broad and diverse alliance of LGBT people, educators, government officials, communities of color and faith, labor, business, and social justice communities to achieve our goals. www.eqca.org