Title: Condemning Secretary Ben Carson's bigoted comments regarding transgender people and decrying the Department of Housing and Urban Development's continued effort, under Secretary Carson's leadership, to single out and discriminate against LGBTQ individuals.
Policy area: Housing and Community Development

Summary:
This resolution condemns certain comments by Secretary Ben Carson regarding transgender people and decries the Department of Housing and Urban Development's continued effort, under his leadership, to single out and discriminate against LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) individuals.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 613 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 613

     Condemning Secretary Ben Carson's bigoted comments regarding 
  transgender people and decrying the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development's continued effort, under Secretary Carson's leadership, to 
         single out and discriminate against LGBTQ individuals.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 1, 2019

 Mr. Quigley (for himself, Ms. Hill of California, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Sean 
 Patrick Maloney of New York, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Lowenthal, Mr. Evans, 
  Mr. Nadler, Mr. Lujan, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. 
Kildee, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Kennedy, Ms. Wasserman 
Schultz, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Haaland, Ms. Moore, 
 Ms. Jayapal, Ms. Pressley, Mr. Pappas, Mr. Pascrell, Mr. Swalwell of 
 California, Mr. Veasey, Mr. Green of Texas, Mr. Moulton, Ms. Escobar, 
  Mr. Higgins of New York, Mr. Pallone, Ms. Speier, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. 
 Norton, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. McEachin, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms. Scanlon, 
   and Mrs. Lawrence) submitted the following resolution; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Condemning Secretary Ben Carson's bigoted comments regarding 
  transgender people and decrying the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development's continued effort, under Secretary Carson's leadership, to 
         single out and discriminate against LGBTQ individuals.

Whereas the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is responsible for 
        safeguarding and serving the most vulnerable among us;
Whereas the Secretary of HUD, Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., made statements to HUD 
        employees in San Francisco regarding transgender people;
Whereas in those statements, Secretary Carson referred to transgender women as 
        ``big, hairy men'' and accused them of pretending to be women to access 
        women's shelters;
Whereas those statements are incredibly disrespectful and reflect bigoted, 
        outdated thinking that is both offensive and counterproductive to the 
        mission of the agency;
Whereas the Washington Post has reported that Secretary Carson has ``repeatedly 
        mocked transgender people in internal meetings in Washington'';
Whereas it is the responsibility of the Secretary of HUD, an agency with more 
        than 8,000 employees, to ensure a welcoming work environment that 
        fosters productivity on behalf of the American people;
Whereas the Secretary's comments and cavalier attitude toward those that HUD is 
        supposed to help has created a divisive and demoralizing atmosphere 
        which does not best serve the American people;
Whereas a HUD employee was reportedly applauded as she walked out in protest 
        from Secretary Carson's remarks;
Whereas these most recent comments are not the first actions that Secretary 
        Carson has taken that show a basic disrespect toward LGBTQ people;
Whereas, in 2015, then-Presidential candidate Carson said, ``I do not appreciate 
        using our military as a laboratory for social experimentation. The last 
        thing we need to be doing is saying, `What would it be like if we 
        introduced several transgender people into this platoon?' Give me a 
        break. Deal with the transgender thing somewhere else.'';
Whereas, in 2016, then-Presidential candidate Carson said, ``Boys who say, `I 
        feel like a girl today, I want to go into the girl's lavatory'--that is 
        such a bunch of garbage. If we continue to cater to that, where will it 
        lead? Where will it lead us to be? I mean, it's beyond ridiculous that 
        you take the most abnormal situation and then you make everyone else 
        conform to it . . . when we start trying to impose the extra rights 
        based on a few people who perhaps are abnormal, where does that lead?'';
Whereas, in 2017, HUD removed resource documents designed to help emergency 
        homeless shelters and other housing providers comply with HUD 
        nondiscrimination policies regarding LGBT service recipients;
Whereas despite repeated interactions with Congress, both in hearings and 
        otherwise, HUD left this guidance in limbo for nearly two years before 
        finally announcing, with flimsy justification, it would not repost or 
        replace it at all;
Whereas, in May of 2019, Secretary Carson testified in front of the Financial 
        Services Committee of the House of Representatives that HUD had no 
        intention of eliminating the crucial Equal Access Rule one day before 
        HUD proposed a new rule that would essentially gut it; and
Whereas Secretary Carson seems committed to ensuring that LGBT individuals are 
        unable to exercise even the basic rights afforded to all Americans: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) believes that every American, regardless of religion, 
        race, gender identity sexual orientation, or any other 
        classification, deserves access to safe and secure shelter;
            (2) questions the ability and commitment of Secretary 
        Carson to effectively lead the Department of Housing and Urban 
        Development and its thousands of dedicated employees; and
            (3) strongly condemns Secretary Carson's bigoted comments 
        regarding transgender people and decries HUD's continued 
        effort, under Secretary Carson's leadership, to single out and 
        discriminate against LGBTQ individuals.
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