Friday, April 23, 2021

Some Good News

There is some good news coming out of President Biden’s administration in the housing sector.
HUD Revokes Trump Rule Allowing Transgender Discrimination In Homeless Shelters
The Biden administration has withdrawn the proposed rule, which would have allowed single-sex shelters to turn away transgender people.
Huffington Post
By Amanda Terkel
April 22, 2021


The Department of Housing and Urban Development is pulling back a proposal put forward by President Donald Trump’s administration that would have allowed taxpayer-funded homeless shelters to discriminate against transgender individuals.

“Access to safe, stable housing — and shelter — is a basic necessity,” Secretary Marcia Fudge said Thursday. “Unfortunately, transgender and gender-nonconforming people report more instances of housing instability and homelessness than cisgender people. Today, we are taking a critical step in affirming HUD’s commitment that no person be denied access to housing or other critical services because of their gender identity. HUD is open for business for all.”
Four years ago I was doing training for homeless shelters with HUD and then the woman from HUD was yanked off the training by her HUD bosses by Trump’s HUD secretary, Ben Carson… no more diversity training. They were in the process of passing regulations that sex means what is between your legs.
“We are thrilled to see today’s announcement, which is further confirmation that this administration is committed to ensuring that LGBTQ people are not turned away from federally funded services and programs,” said Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights. “Access to homeless shelters is often a matter of survival for trans people, who are more likely to be homeless, to lack secure housing, and to be the victims of domestic violence.”
We have done training for homeless shelters for years here in Connecticut with little or no effect, it is time to unleash the legal hounds and maybe getting hit with a couple of hundred thousand dollar lawsuits might cause them to see the light.



More good news...
A day after North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum vetoed House Bill 1298, Senate lawmakers did not reach the two-thirds majority needed to override his decision, voting 28-19 in favor of the lightning rod proposal. The bill died after falling four votes shy of the necessary threshold in the Senate.
Grans Fork Herald 
By: Adam Willis
April 22, 2021


BISMARCK — An attempt by North Dakota's Republican-dominated Legislature to override Gov. Doug Burgum's veto of a restriction on the participation of transgender athletes in K-12 sports came up short Thursday, April 22, after it failed to pick up enough votes in the Senate chamber.

A day after Burgum vetoed House Bill 1298, Senate lawmakers did not reach the two-thirds majority needed to override his decision, voting 28-19 in favor of the lightning rod proposal. The bill died after falling four votes shy of the necessary threshold in the Senate.

The vote to sustain the governor's veto followed four speeches by Republican lawmakers defending the proposal. The lead sponsor on the bill, Edinburg Republican Sen. Janne Myrdal, told colleagues Burgum's veto overly focused on the existing policies of the North Dakota High School Activities Association instead of the merits of the bill.
[…]
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers who spoke against the proposal said its passage would have dangerous mental health repercussions for members of the transgender and LGBT communities in North Dakota. Critics also warned the policy would drive out corporate investment and create costly, unnecessary lawsuits for the state.
You bet your sweet bippy that there would have been law suits over the ban.

Then in Kansas the bill didn’t get pass their governor…
Leavenworth Times
By Andrew Bahl Topeka Capital-Journal
April 22, 2021


Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed legislation Thursday that would have banned transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports, calling it "a devastating message" to families in Kansas and a threat to the state's economic standing.

Kelly raised concerns over the impact such legislation would have on the state's economy but also argued in her veto message that Senate Bill 55 would have an impact on the mental health of transgender youth and was counter to Kansas' status as "an inclusive state."

“This legislation sends a devastating message that Kansas is not welcoming to all children and their families, including those who are transgender — who are already at a higher risk of bullying, discrimination, and suicide," Kelly wrote.

The legislation arrived at Kelly's desk after a tense debate in the Kansas Legislature.
Other bills are also foundering on the shoals of public opinion and remember that Arkansas governor vetoed that states anti-trans bill.
Houston Chronicle
By Taylor Goldenstein
April 21, 2021


A bill that would dictate on which sports teams transgender athletes can compete in public schools was declared all but dead on Wednesday by Rep. Harold Dutton, the Public Education Committee chair who presided over an emotionally charged debate over it a day earlier.

The bill drew criticism from more than 1,000 employers across the state and the NCAA, which threatened to cancel future sports championships in the state if it were enacted.
Then in North Carolina they are also balking at passing an anti-trans bill,
A top North Carolina GOP lawmaker will not advance a proposal seeking to limit medical treatments for transgender people under 21
ABC News
By Bryan Anderson Associated Press/Report for America
April 20, 2021


RALEIGH, N.C. -- The office of North Carolina's Republican Senate leader said on Tuesday the chamber won't advance a controversial bill put forward this month by three GOP members that sought to limit medical treatments for transgender people under 21.

The measure also aimed to punish doctors who facilitate a patient's desire to present themselves or appear in a way that is inconsistent with their biological sex.

“We do not see a pathway to Senate Bill 514 becoming law,” said Pat Ryan, a spokesman for GOP Senate leader Phil Berger, adding that “the bill will not be voted on the Senate floor.”
Is there light for the end of the transgender scourge? Is this the beginning of the end for this year's legislative sessions?

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