In a hearing, Dr. Ben Carson, the secretary of housing and urban development, was pushed by Senator Mike Quigley to answer if he’s protecting the rights of “all the people” including LGBT homeless people, Carson said it’s a “very complex issue.”

According to TNCRM:

Testifying Tuesday before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Secretary Carson was asked about the training materials used to prevent discrimination against LGBTQ homeless people that Carson had removed from HUD’s website. Carson stonewalled, saying first “it’s a very complex issue,” then blaming not having a general counsel at HUD until December for not having reviewed the documents or reposting them on the federal agency’s website.

“Remember, it is complex,” he repeated. “Obviously we believe in equal rights for everybody, including the LGBT community. But we also believe in equal rights for the women in the shelters, and shelters where there are men, and their equal rights. So, we want to look at things that really provide for everybody and doesn’t impede the rights of one for the sake of the other.”

Senator Quigley said: “How is protecting the rights of transgender homeless potentially impact –” he began to ask, until Carson cut him off.

“I’ll give you an example: There are some women who said they were not comfortable with the idea of being in a shelter, being in a shower, and somebody who had a very different anatomy.”

“I don’t think you would have wanted us to do this without a general counsel,” Carson told Quigley. “I would like to work with you on this and I would be particularly interested in your ideals on how we protect the rights of all the people involved.”