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Saturday, April 9, 2011

HUD's FAIR HOUSING CAMPAIGN TO FOCUS ON ENSURING EQUAL ACCESS FOR LGBT PERSONS


WASHINGTON - The Department of Housing and Urban Development has launched a new media campaign, "Live Free," that will, among other things, strive to ensure that people have equal access to housing regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discriminate based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, or families with children. While sexual orientation and gender identity are not prohibited bases of discrimination under the federal Fair Housing Act, housing discrimination against someone who is LGBT may, in certain circumstances, violate the Act's existing provisions, including its prohibition against gender discrimination.

"While 20 states and over 200 local governments have led the way to make LGBT-related housing discrimination illegal, HUD is firmly committed to supporting the right of LGBT individuals and families to lead productive and dignified lives, free from housing discrimination and fear of retaliation, said John Trasviña, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. "HUD is finalizing a federal rule to ensure that HUD housing and programs are open to all, irrespective of marital status, gender identify, and sexual orientation."

The "Live Free" print advertisements are focused to particular targeted audiences. For example, one print ad reads "Should Gender Stereotypes Influence Where Your live? Learn More." "Live Free" campaign will run throughout the year and include Facebook ads, targeted print ads, digital videos, and podcasts.

In 2010, HUD provided Guidance to its staff on how to more effectively address inquiries from LGBT individuals regarding housing discrimination issues and also launched a webpage for the public on LGBT housing discrimination. Since then, HUD's housing discrimination complaint level from LGBT individuals has increased significantly. From July 1, 2010 to February 28, 2011, LGBT individuals filed 47 complaints of housing discrimination alleging gender discrimination with HUD. During the same period straddling 2009 and 2010 prior to issuance of the guidance, HUD only received 3 such complaints.

For more information about the Fair Housing Act and to file a complaint of housing discrimination, call 1-800-669-9777 or go to www.hud.gov/fairhousing.

1 comment:

  1. I believe HUD is somewhat disingenuous about LGBT protection. HUD’s FHEO refuses to investigate a civil rights complaint against it, which was filed with the U.S. Department of Justice by my sister and I in June 2009.

    Specifically, HUD’s FHEO allowed the respondents in our twin HUD FHEO housing discrimination cases 3 years ago to organize a group of tenants against us, with the intention of running us out of our apartment complex and off of the Section 8 program.

    All of this happened at the Mission Gardens Apartments in Santa Cruz, California, a Section 8 property.

    Later, this group of tenants, perceiving me to be homosexual, ramped up their campaign of terror against my sister and I. They taunted me with homophobic profanities, vandalized my sister’s car with a gay hate symbol, and organized a petition with 23 signatures to wrongfully evict my sister and I from Mission Gardens. Worse, using the crudest of homophobic stereotypes, they spread vicious lies that I am a danger to resident children. They made the Mission Gardens Apartments scorched earth for us.

    Consequently, my sister and I filed a Section 504 civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice against HUD’s FHEO. I have personally appealed to HUD Assistant Secretary Trasviña to require his subordinates to investigate this complaint, yet they still refuse.

    How can anyone take HUD at face value about LGBT Fair Housing issues when HUD's FHEO has allowed what I described to happen unchecked because HUD's FHEO discriminated against two victims of housing discrimination?

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