The federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 — which covers all housing — now prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status and handicap. Protections for sexual orientation and gender identity aren’t included, and only 17 states and 80 cities ban housing discrimination based on sexual orientation, and not all of those cover transgender individuals. But that might be starting to change. From the NYT:
Last week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said it’s fast-tracking a nationwide study to determine the extent of housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It’s also proposing regulations to insure these individuals won’t be denied public housing or government housing vouchers because of their identities.
HUD’s initiatives will soon be posted for public comment, but the agency offered no timeline for the study or regulations.
If the regulations pass, gay and transgender renters would get legal firepower they’ve never had, though not as extensive as other protected classes. The proposed regulations only cover HUD rental programs, so not all apartments will be included.
Still, the regulations would cover the most vulnerable, those who depend on government help for housing
Jaime Grant, the director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s policy institute, says “This is huge. It’s the first time (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people will have leverage to stop practices that are demeaning and discriminating.”
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