‘It’s Not Just About a Rainbow Lanyard’: How Structural Cisnormativity Undermines the Enactment of Anti-Discrimination Legislation in the Welsh Homelessness Service

Abstract

Trans people1 – those whose gender identity does not match that assigned to them at birth – are at considerably elevated risk of homelessness, reflecting their marginalized legal, bureaucratic and socio-economic status2. Recent substantial international expansion to the medico-legal rights afforded them operates in tension with cisnormative welfare structures. Based upon a Critical Discourse Analysis of interviews with 35 trans people with experience of homeless in Wales, UK, alongside 12 workers in the system, I argue that anti-discrimination legislation is insufficient in its current form to prevent discrimination against trans people. I suggest that, without addressing deeper structural cisnormativity, service provision for trans people experiencing homelessness and other forms of social marginalisation will remain inadequate. This argument rests upon the following findings. (1) Failing to consider exclusion at a structural level leads to system-gaps and misunderstandings, producing poor service experiences. (2) The specific needs of trans applicants are under considered in system planning, reducing scope for meaningful homelessness interventions. (3) An equalities approach can produce a reductive and potentially pathologizing focus upon trans identity, diverting from specific individual needs. I conclude that provision of inclusive services necessitates consideration of the impact of deep cisnormative assumptions in service design and delivery, and their resultant exclusion of trans people.

‘Homelessness is a queer experience.’: utopianism and mutual aid as survival strategies for homeless trans people

“…Interview length varied from around 30 minutes to up to 5 hours: participants were encouraged to take regular breaks and to split the interview over several days if they became extended. Allowing participants to determine the length and direction of interviews was regarded as important in affording participants control over their own narratives (see England, 2021England, , 2022 for fuller discussion).…”

“…At an international policy level, the substantial turn toward prevention within homelessness services has been motivated by awareness that homelessness is a traumatic, highly disruptive experience in its own right, and that early, appropriate interventions are critical to mitigating its impacts (Mackie et al, 2017). Yet mainstream homelessness services are a space where trans people continue to face both direct and indirect discrimination, marginalization and exclusion (England, 2021(England, , 2022Mottet & Ohle, 2006;Pyne, 2011). This operates both directly, (as service refusal) and indirectly, (as maintenance of exclusionary access requirements, such as gendered dress codes for service users -see Pyne, 2011).…”

“…This support became apparent during the difficult application process. For trans applicants, the prevalence of bio-securitization, wherein the identity of applicants becomes closely scrutinized, questioned and categorized and repeatedly categorized in line with bureaucratic-legal requirements, was an emotionally difficult experience (England, 2021(England, , 2022Currah & Mulqueen, 2011). Support from friends was especially important here.…”

‘You’re having us on … that’s what it felt like.’: Frontline Workers Navigating the Introduction of Moral Commitments to Domestic Abuse Support within a Statutory Homelessness System

“…An iterative coding process (Braun and Clarke, 2014) produced final themes of discourse production, justification, experience, and operationalisation (Fairclough, 2005). For a more detailed discussion of the CDA approach, see England (2022b). These themes are reported upon in more depth in the next sections.…”

“…Even as rhetorical commitment to women's freedom from domestic abuse has intensified, funding for services to address the practical, social effects of domestic abuse has become increasingly haphazard, unpredictable, and scarce, with especially significant impacts upon women facing additional loci of marginalisation: women of colour, LGBTQ+ women, disabled women and migrants (Berger, 2009;Ishkanian, 2014;Mackenzie et al, 2015;Jurasz, 2019;Sweet, 2019;Pain, 2021;England, 2022aEngland, , 2022b. As Mackenzie et al (2015) argue, an implementation gap often exists between the high-level intentions of legislation and policy aimed at addressing domestic abuse, and the practices that play out on the ground, through frontline services.…”