Phoenix House,  one of New York’s most successful rehabilitation centers which helped thousands of men, women, and adolescents overcome substance and alcohol abuse is finding themselves under fire from the New York-based AIDS services nonprofit Housing Works which has filed a lawsuit against Phoenix House , as well as the director of its Brooklyn facility, claiming that Phoenix House violated both New York State and City human rights laws when it engaged in blatant transgender discrimination  on behalf of a transgender Brooklyn resident.

The plantif only known as “Ms. Wilson,” has identified as female since age 14 and entered Phoenix House as an alternative to jail time.  Despite her gender identity, Ms. Wilson was prohibited from dressing as a woman, and prohibited from participating in a women’s support group, even after she won the support of the women in that group.

The lawsuit describes Phoenix House’s repeated unwillingness to make accommodations for Ms. Wilson’s gender identity, culminating in the decision to terminate her from the program despite the fact that, during her stay at Phoenix House, Ms. Wilson had made significant – and more than sufficient – progress in her rehabilitation to merit advancement.

Source: Housing Works