HUD chief Ben Carson reportedly made dismissive comments about transgender people during California

HUD chief Ben Carson reportedly made dismissive comments about transgender people during California trip


WASHINGTON — Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson reportedly made dismissive comments about transgender people in San Francisco this week during President Trump’s trip to California.

The Washington Post reports that HUD staff members were shocked after Carson said “big, hairy men” identifying as women were trying to access women’s homeless shelters, and that society does not know the difference between men and women anymore. HUD staff members told the Post that during the meeting, Carson was speaking about his conversations with women’s shelter operators who told him that homeless women would be upset. He added that single-sex shelters should be able to reject transgender people.

The comments, which were reportedly made at a meeting of about 50 staff members at HUD’s San Francisco office, led to at least one woman walking out in protest. The Post reports that the woman spoke out against what staffers saw as a clear attack on transgender women.

When contacted by the Washington Post, a HUD official said Carson was referring to men who pretend to be women to gain access to women’s shelters, not calling transgender women “big, hairy men,” although employees who were at the meeting said that that was not clear from the remarks.

Read more: https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-09-20/housing-secretary-ben-carson-transgender-comments-san-francisco