A pilot policy that allows transgender individuals to choose between staying in a men's or women's shelter has reduced trans-based violence in New York City.Besides permitting transgender shelter-seekers to stay in shelters appropriate to their identity, the policy states that "staff will address individuals with names, titles and other terms appropriate to their gender identity" and "staff at Intake/Shelter assignments will receive training on diversity, transgender and intersex issues."
The policy defines transgender as "an umbrella term that includes anyone whose gender identity and/or gender expression does not match society's expectations of how an individual assigned a particular sex at birth should behave or appear." The broad definition includes people who are androgynous, drag queens or kings and cross-dressers.
The policy was implemented as a four-year pilot program in January 2006 at three men's and three women's shelters. The written policy has not been updated since the program's inception. But it now applies at all homeless shelters that receive city funding.
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