Atlanta's largest homeless shelter grapples with transgender inclusion
Current policy requires transwomen to present as male
By DYANA BAGBY | Mar 26, 3:23 PM
http://www.sovo.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24703"Remember this is a men's facility and you must present yourself as male."
Those 13 words — part of the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless' "Residents Rights, Responsibilities, Policies & Procedures" — are at the heart of one of the major problems the shelter continues to have with the City of Atlanta in trying to serve the city's large homeless population.
More and more male-to-female transgender women are seeking shelter at the facility, known as Peachtree-Pine because of its location at 477 Peachtree St. at the intersection of Pine Street. The facility houses an average of 600 men each night. Of that total, approximately 5 percent, or between 20-25 people, are transwomen, said Hillary Brown, AmeriCorps Force caseworker. Brown is working with Ann Monk, also with the AmeriCorps Force, to find a way to make the shelter trans-inclusive.
But in order for the transwomen to be able to stay in the shelter, they must "present as male" — and that means shedding their identity, including name, the clothes they usually wear, even wigs and fake fingernails.
