David Price: “I am baffled and distressed that my colleagues seem so intent on targeting such a vulnerable population. This Equal…”

“I am baffled and distressed that my colleagues seem so intent on targeting such a vulnerable population. This Equal Access in Accordance with an Individual's Gender Identity in Community Planning and Development Programs rule simply ensures that all Americans have access to HUD services regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status. This amendment strikes protections for homeless youth seeking help in shelters. It also strikes eligibility for other HUD programs and for FHA loans. Mr. Chairman, research shows that same-sex couples and transgender individuals experience significant discrimination when seeking housing. LGBTQ youth comprise up to 40 percent of the homeless population. Let me, again, remind my colleagues of the risks faced, as Ms. Wexton has stressed, the risks faced by transgender, homeless youth when they are living on the streets. This population is much more likely to experience physical, emotional, sexual abuse, intimate partner violence, sexual exploitation, or trafficking. LGBTQ youth have over twice the rate of early death compared to other youth experiencing homelessness. When these young people arrive at a shelter, they are not a safety risk for others. On the contrary, they are desperate. They are vulnerable. Many are homeless because their families rejected them for being transgender.…”