Gender Marker Laws and Access to Emergency Rental Assistance for Transgender Renters in the United States During COVID-19

Abstract

Barriers to changing gender markers on identification documents (IDs) create many economic challenges for transgender and gender nonconforming individuals. In the United States, each state has different laws and processes for changing the gender marker on a state ID. Using Household Pulse Survey data, this paper investigates whether transgender renters residing in states with several hurdles to changing gender on a driver’s license had a more difficult time accessing emergency rental assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive results from baseline logistic regression models suggest that among transgender individuals, residing in states that require proof of sex-change surgery, a court order, or an amended birth certificate to change gender on a driver’s license was associated with a lower likelihood of receiving emergency rental assistance after applying. Gender marker laws have deep consequences for housing policy: state-level considerations for the transgender population should be included in housing policy design.

Keywords:

• Gender marker laws
• COVID-19
• emergency rental assistance
• transgender
• housing policy
• gender nonconforming

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 As of March 2024, these include Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, New York, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Hawaii, Arizona, North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and New Mexico.

2 As of March 2024, these include Wisconsin, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Indiana, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alaska, and Texas.

3 For example, to change one’s gender marker on a driver’s license in Wyoming, a resident must have a form signed by a physician, therapist or counselor, psychiatric social worker, or other medical or social service provider.

4 Note that I do not include available Metropolitan Statistical Area controls in the baseline or multilevel models because it overfits the model for smaller samples of gender minority applicants.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sarah F. Small

Sarah F. Small is an assistant professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Utah. She earned her PhD in economics at Colorado State University and was recently a researcher at Duke at Rutgers universities. Sarah’s research is focused on feminist economics.