Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) cosponsored the Fair and Equal Housing Act of 2019, bipartisan legislation that would add gender identity and sexual orientation to the classes protected from discrimination under the Fair Housing Act (FHA) to ensure equal housing opportunities for all Americans. The FHA prohibits housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status or disability but not sexual orientation or gender identity. Currently, 21 states, the District of Columbia and over 200 localities protect sexual orientation and gender identity in their housing discrimination statutes.
“No one should be denied a home or apartment because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Yet federal law doesn’t adequately protect LGBTQ Americans from housing discrimination and 28 states don’t have any LGBTQ non-discrimination laws on the books. Congress must take immediate action to correct this injustice and ensure that every American has equal access to housing.”