Equality NC Celebrates HUD's Enforcement of the Fair Housing Act to Prohibit Discrimination Against LGBTQ People

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 11, 2021

James Michael Nichols | Equality NC | james@equalitync.org | 919-213-0562

Equality NC Celebrates HUD's Enforcement of the Fair Housing Act to Prohibit Discrimination Against LGBTQ People

RALEIGH -- On Thursday, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that the agency would implement President Joe Biden's Executive Order that bars discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

This is a historic move, guaranteeing for the first time that it will be illegal to turn away people seeking to rent or buy homes, apartments and other forms of housing. HUD issued this directive to begin implementation of the provisions of President Biden's Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity of Sexual Orientation signed on the day he was inaugurated.

This directive is especially important for the 22 percent of North Carolina respondents to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey who reported experiencing some form of housing discrimination in the previous year, including eviction or denial of a home or apartment because of being transgender.

"All North Carolinians should feel safe and secure in the process of finding a roof to put over their heads," said Equality NC Executive Director Kendra R. Johnson. "For too long LGBTQ folks, particularly Black, Brown and transgender individuals, have encountered both explicit and subtle bias and discrimination while trying to secure housing. This move by HUD takes a lifesaving step toward ensuring that our communities can navigate their next search for a home without fear."