By Sasha Gonzales
[email protected]
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Thursday announced it would enforce the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, following an executive order by President Joe Biden.
HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity issued a memorandum stating that “HUD interprets the Fair Housing Act to bar discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and directing HUD offices and recipients of HUD funds to enforce the Act accordingly,” according to the agency.
The memorandum begins implementation of the policy laid out in Biden’s Executive Order 13988 on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation, which directed executive branch agencies to examine steps that would combat such discrimination.
“Housing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity demands urgent enforcement action,”said Acting Assistant Secretary of FHEO, Jeanine M. Worden. “That is why HUD, under the Biden Administration, will fully enforce the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. Every person should be able to secure a roof over their head free from discrimination, and the action we are taking today will move us closer to that goal.”