Some students feel unsafe as UNC Charlotte ends gender-affirming housing

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – UNC Charlotte has ended an option that allowed students to live in housing that best matches their gender identity. The university ended gender affirming housing to align with federal non-discrimination laws.

Sophomore Athena Deese says she doesn’t feel safe living in dorms at UNC Charlotte after the university ended gender affirming housing.

“I have to find a place where I have a little more control over my environment in order to actually be able to be in a safe place,” Deese said. “It was mainly for transgender students to make sure that we could be housed with each other, to live in a safer space, but it was also used by other LGBTQ students so that they could also fit in a more secure environment.”

A statement from a UNC Charlotte spokeswoman said, “The decision to discontinue gender affirming housing was driven by recent changes in federal regulatory guidance regarding the interpretation of sex-based nondiscrimination laws. UNC Charlotte remains committed to supporting all students in finding a comfortable and safe place to live and will continue working to address individual needs throughout the housing assignments process.”
Some students are concerned rolling back the policy will leave other students vulnerable.

“Without gender affirming housing, it puts a lot of transgender students at a much higher risk of facing discrimination and harassment that they don’t deserve, and it is a basic accommodation,” Kylie Greenelsh, Junior at UNC Charlotte said.

The university has a Lavender Lounge inside the Cone Center open to LGBTQ students and allies but with more anti-DEI policies some students wonder about its future.

“This space is safe for some time but who knows when someone will go to the school and say hey you have to close this space now,” Greenelsh said.
Students say they plan to keep advocating for policies and places where everyone can feel safe.

“There wasn’t an announcement that it was going away. There wasn’t time to talk about it, but there is time to show support for what was there to try to bring it back,” Deese said.

UNC Charlotte says even though the housing application won’t have a gender affirming category starting in the fall semester, it will continue working to address individual needs through the housing process.