UNC Charlotte will end its gender-affirming housing program beginning in fall 2026, removing a housing option that had allowed transgender students to request living arrangements consistent with their gender identity.
“The decision to discontinue gender-affirming housing was driven by recent changes in federal regulatory guidance regarding the interpretation of sex-based nondiscrimination laws,” Christy Jackson, UNC Charlotte’s deputy chief communications officer and executive director of strategic communications, told the Niner Times and Campus Reform.
Jackson also said the university, as a federally funded institution, “must comply with applicable Title IX directives.”
Before the change, UNC Charlotte’s Housing and Residence Life Department offered a gender-affirming housing option that allowed students to request placement with other students interested in affirming gender identities. References to the program have since been removed from the university’s housing website.
Reporting from the Niner Times found that students were not formally notified before the housing option was eliminated. The student newspaper reported the program appears to have been phased out after the fall 2025 semester and will no longer be available beginning in fall 2026.
University officials have not pointed to a specific federal rule that prohibits gender-affirming housing. However, President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January 2025 directing federal agencies to interpret sex-based protections using biological sex rather than gender identity.
UNC Charlotte has also cited existing UNC System housing rules. A policy adopted in 2013 states that universities within the system may not assign “members of the opposite sex” to the same dorm room, suite or campus apartment except in limited cases involving siblings, married couples or parents and children.
The decision has prompted criticism from some LGBTQ+ students and campus advocates.
“Gender-affirming housing prevents gender non-conforming students from facing undeserved harassment and bullying due to their gender identity,” Kylie Greenelsh, president of Prism, an LGBTQ-focused student organization at UNC Charlotte, told The Assembly. “Forcing transgender students to use facilities that align with their birth or legal sex sends the message that ‘you don’t belong here.’”
One anonymous student told the Niner Times that the availability of gender-affirming housing influenced their decision to enroll at UNC Charlotte.
“Taking away affirming housing is taking away safety and comfort from students,” the student said.
Another student told the publication that affirming housing helped create a sense of safety and stability while living on campus, particularly because they were not fully out at home.
“There’s also this worry of, like, ‘Oh, do my roommates actually see me for who I am?’” the student said.
UNC Charlotte is not the only public university in North Carolina to revise housing policies affecting transgender students. Last year, UNC Asheville updated its housing practices to require legal documentation matching a student’s gender identity before certain housing accommodations could be approved.
Other UNC System schools still maintain LGBTQ+-focused or transgender-inclusive housing programs. UNC Chapel Hill continues to offer “Pride Place,” while UNC Wilmington’s housing website includes information about accommodations for transgender and gender nonconforming students.
The UNC System has not announced a broader system-wide policy ending gender-affirming housing options.
