H.R. 5, “The Equality Act,” would ensure sexual orientation and gender identity are included as prohibited bases for discrimination under the Fair Housing Act. The legislation now must be approved by the Senate.
National Association of Realtors (NAR) President Charlie Oppler issued a statement after the 224-to-206 vote.
“As stewards of the right to own, use and transfer private property, Realtors’ livelihoods depend on an open housing market, and discrimination of any kind limits our shared goals, undermines our values and inhibits our ability to conduct business,” Oppler said. “NAR amended its official policies more than a decade ago to ensure Realtors were upholding Fair Housing protections for the LGBTQ community, and we look forward to continuing our work to eliminate discrimination from America’s housing market.”
The legislation was introduced two years ago by Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.). It passed the House in 2019 but failed to make it past the Republican-controlled Senate.
House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) recently spoke on the House floor asking her peers to pass the Equality Act. Waters noted the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act became law more than 50 years ago, but housing and lending discrimination remains a widespread problem.
“This legislation takes key steps to codify existing protections for our LGBTQ-plus neighbors under civil rights statutes, including the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and is similar to provisions included in H.R. 166, a fair lending proposal by Rep. Al Green,” Waters said. “… I urge my colleagues to please support this important bill that will ensure equal access to housing and wealth-building opportunities for generations to come by expressly prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.”
According to the National Fair Housing Alliance, complaints about sex discrimination were the fourth most prevalent in 2019. As housing discrimination continues to harm an estimated 68 million people in the U.S. LGBTQ-plus youth in particular remain at a greater risk of homelessness compared to non-LGBTQ-plus youth, and same-sex couples are more likely to be denied a mortgage loan compared to hetero-sex couples.
Cover Story: