On September 14, 2016, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), issued a final rule ensuring equal access for individuals in accordance with their gender identity in programs and shelters funded and administered by HUD's Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD). The rule ensures that recipients and subrecipients of CPD funding grant equal access to such facilities and services (such as temporary shelters, emergency shelters, and other buildings and facilities used for shelter) to individuals in accordance with an individual's gender identity.

The rule amends HUD's definition of "gender identity" to more clearly reflect the difference between actual and perceived identity and eliminates the prohibition on inquiries related to sexual orientation and gender identity, so that service providers can ensure compliance with the new rule. The rule does not permit services providers to subject individuals to intrusive questioning to ask them to provide documentation.

Read HUD's new Gender Identity Rule