On July 24, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order (EO) titled “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets.” While framed as a measure to restore safety and cleanliness in public spaces, the order is already raising alarms among civil rights groups, homelessness advocates, and disability organizations. Critics warn that it is likely to expand policing, encourage criminalization of people living on the streets, and route vulnerable populations into involuntary treatment.
For the transgender community, these concerns are particularly acute. Transgender people are disproportionately represented among those experiencing homelessness. Policies that criminalize survival behaviors, such as sleeping outdoors, resting in public, or setting up temporary encampments, will inevitably hit trans communities harder, as will measures that prioritize institutionalization over voluntary, affirming services.
What the Executive Order Changes
The EO directs federal agencies to shift funding away from Housing First and harm reduction programs, which have decades of research supporting their effectiveness, and instead reward cities and states that enforce “quality of life” laws more aggressively. It encourages jurisdictions to adopt stricter ordinances on camping, loitering, and public drug use. More troublingly, it calls for a broader use of civil commitment and involuntary treatment for individuals deemed unable to care for themselves—a category critics fear could be defined too broadly and enforced with little oversight.
This order builds directly on the 2024 Supreme Court decision Grants Pass v. Johnson, which gave cities the legal green light to fine or jail individuals for sleeping outside, even when no shelter beds are available. By conditioning federal funding on punitive measures, the EO effectively pressures local governments to criminalize homelessness more aggressively.
Why Transgender People Are at Risk
Transgender individuals are far more likely to experience homelessness and housing instability than the general population. Research from the Williams Institute estimates that 8% of transgender adults have experienced homelessness in the past year, compared to less than 1% of the general population. One in five transgender people will experience homelessness at some point in their lives, often due to family rejection, discrimination in housing or employment, and systemic barriers to healthcare and social services.
Transgender youth are particularly vulnerable. Studies indicate that up to 40% of youth experiencing homelessness identify as LGBTQ+, and transgender youth are overrepresented in this group. Many are forced out of their homes after coming out, while others face violence or neglect within foster care or group home systems.
Shelters, which are often touted as a solution, can be dangerous or unwelcoming places for transgender people. Misgendering, harassment, and outright denial of services are not uncommon. Transgender women are frequently placed in men’s facilities, putting them at heightened risk of violence. For these individuals, sleeping outside can feel safer than entering a hostile shelter environment. A policy that prioritizes clearing encampments without ensuring affirming, safe alternatives will only exacerbate this cycle of harm.
Policing, Profiling, and Survival
Historically, “quality of life” policing has disproportionately targeted transgender women of color. Loitering and “public order” laws have often been used to profile trans women as sex workers simply because of their appearance. The new EO, by incentivizing jurisdictions to step up enforcement of such ordinances, risks expanding this profiling and criminalization.
The expansion of involuntary treatment is equally concerning. For transgender individuals, being placed into a forced treatment setting can mean losing access to gender-affirming care, such as hormone therapy or specialized mental health services. Many institutions lack the training or willingness to provide affirming care, and some actively deny transgender patients the right to continue their treatment. A temporary detention can lead to weeks or months of setbacks in medical care, further destabilizing already vulnerable individuals.
The Intersection with Grants Pass
The Grants Pass decision fundamentally changed the legal landscape by ruling that it is not “cruel and unusual” punishment for cities to fine or arrest people for sleeping outdoors, even when they have nowhere else to go. The Trump EO leverages this decision, effectively rewarding cities that crack down on unhoused populations with more policing and fewer resources for evidence-based solutions.
For transgender people, this means more frequent sweeps of encampments, where personal belongings, such as medications, identity documents, and personal safety items, are often discarded or destroyed. Without stable housing or secure access to medical care, every police encounter becomes not just a legal risk but a threat to survival.
Community Concerns and Responses
Advocates are particularly worried about how this EO will interact with local politics. Cities and states that want federal funding may pass harsher ordinances or reallocate money away from proven programs like Housing First, which prioritizes providing permanent housing before addressing other issues like substance use or mental health challenges.
This shift is likely to create a hostile environment where transgender people face increased arrests, longer incarceration periods for “public order” offenses, and forced entry into treatment facilities that may not respect their identities. The intersection of homelessness, policing, and medical discrimination is already fraught for trans people. The EO threatens to deepen these structural harms.
What Can Be Done?
Responding effectively requires more than fear, it requires strategy and preparation. Legal aid groups and civil rights organizations are already gearing up to challenge parts of the EO and to document abuses at the local level. Trans-led community groups are also mobilizing to create networks of support for unhoused trans people, from safe housing options to mutual aid programs that provide essentials like food, medications, and storage for belongings.
Community members can get involved by tracking city council meetings where anti-camping ordinances are discussed, advocating for trans-affirming shelters, and supporting harm reduction and Housing First initiatives. Allies can donate time, money, and skills to trans-led organizations that directly serve those affected by homelessness and criminalization.
Policy Alternatives
There is no shortage of evidence showing what works to reduce homelessness. Housing First approaches, which provide stable housing without preconditions, have proven successful in cities across the country. Combined with wraparound services like mental health counseling, harm reduction programs, and job training, Housing First can break the cycle of homelessness far more effectively than punitive measures.
For transgender individuals, affirming shelters and transitional housing programs are essential. Policies that respect gender identity, provide privacy, and ensure uninterrupted access to medical care are not just humane; they save lives. Community-based, voluntary treatment options also outperform coercive models because they build trust and empower individuals rather than subjecting them to control.
A Balanced Perspective
The EO does not invent the criminalization of homelessness, but it does supercharge it. By funneling resources toward policing and institutionalization rather than addressing the root causes of homelessness, it risks causing significant harm to those who are already marginalized, including transgender individuals.
Yet, it’s important not to give in to despair. Communities have fought and won against harmful policies before. By documenting abuses, pushing for affirming housing and care, and demanding that local officials choose evidence-based solutions, the transgender community and its allies can resist the worst effects of this policy shift.
The Bottom Line
Trump’s executive order on “Ending Crime and Disorder” represents a turning point in federal homelessness policy. For transgender people, especially those who are unhoused, it raises the specter of increased policing, institutionalization, and systemic discrimination. While the EO is already shaping local agendas, it is not the final word.
The path forward lies in staying informed, supporting grassroots organizations, and advocating for real solutions that treat housing as a human right rather than a privilege. Ending homelessness requires compassion, not criminalization. For the transgender community, that compassion must come with an understanding that safety, dignity, and identity are non-negotiable.
Disclaimer: This article is informational only and not legal advice. If you are directly affected, consult a qualified attorney or trusted legal aid group in your area.
