Native Organizers Alliance - Stop this attack on our Two-Spirit relatives and their access to housing

 

Patricia, Trump’s administration is threatening Two-Spirit and transgender people’s access to federally funded housing and related services. For years, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) Equal Access Rule has protected gender-expansive people from discrimination based on their gender identity. But now, during Pride Month, HUD is proposing a rule change to repeal and weaken important parts of the Equal Access Rule. This would exclude unhoused transgender and Two-Spirit people from many HUD-funded homeless shelters and other life-saving housing, services, and programs. In a blatant violation of sovereignty and the treaty and human right to housing, this rule change would force HUD-funded housing providers (including Tribal entities) to discriminate against transgender and Two-Spirit people. We must speak up now to defend our relatives, Tribal sovereignty, and the right to housing for all. Please take a few moments to submit a public comment opposing this rule change. SUBMIT A PUBLIC COMMENT Thanks to the Equal Access Rule, unhoused Two-Spirit and trans people are able to stay in single-sex HUD homeless shelters and domestic violence shelters that match their gender identity -- which protects them from assault and from the streets. Native languages have many words for Two-Spirit people, who held sacred roles in many Indigenous societies before colonization. The term “Two-Spirit” is a newer inter-Tribal term referring to Indigenous people with a variety of gender identities and sexual orientations. Here at Native Organizers Alliance Action Fund, we’re guided by Indigenous values, including honoring all living beings and our sacred relationships with one another. Living up to those values includes defending Two-Spirit people. Lifting up Two-Spirit people is also a return to our original ways and part of how we re-Indigenize society. It’s also an important part of resisting the systemic oppression that hurts us all. This systemic oppression has made trans people and Native people more likely than other groups to experience homelessness at some point in their lives. And with the cost of living and housing getting more out of reach each year, rates of homelessness are on the rise. Submit a public comment now to oppose HUD’s attacks on our relatives and demand the federal government respect Two-Spirit and trans people, Tribal sovereignty, and the treaty right to housing. SUBMIT YOUR COMMENT Hawwih (thank you) for speaking up today. Together we will continue demanding equity and respect for our Two-Spirit and LGBTQI+ (2SLGBTQI+) relatives, and building a world where all of our descendants and we can thrive in freedom and dignity. Judith LeBlanc (Caddo) Executive Director P.S. If you’re a Two-Spirit and LGBTQI+ (2SLGBTQI+) youth in crisis or in need of a safe place to talk, you can call the Trevor Project’s LifeLine 24/7 at 866-488-7386, text START to 678-678, or start an online chat at chat.trvr.org. It’s confidential and free, and you can learn more here. The group also offers an affirming online community for LGBTQ young people ages 13-24, TrevorSpace. And for Two Spirit, trans, and non-binary adults in crisis or need of a safe place to talk, you can call Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860 (US) or 877-330-6366 (Canada). See the all-trans hotline’s operating hours and frequently asked questions here. POWER OUR MOVEMENT

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