REAL ESTATE
Non-Profi t Promotes LGBTQ Real Estate, Confronts Bias
Organization embarks on national mission to prioritize queer community in housing
BY MATT TRACY
In the fall of 2020 — before
vaccines were rolled out —
a group of queer real estate
professionals embarked on
a new venture, even as the future
remained in limbo during a lingering
pandemic.
The group launched the LGBTQ+
Real Estate Alliance, which
supports queer people who work in
real estate and assists folks in the
community who are looking to dive
into home ownership. They developed
a well-constructed organization
complete with a democratic
system of checks and balances and
a sprawling web of local chapters
in different corners of the country,
from Minneapolis to Fort Lauderdale
(New York is not on their list
quite yet, though they’re working
on it).
John Thorpe, president of the
LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance, told
Gay City News that the organization
includes many individuals
who previously worked together in
real estate but wanted to go off on
their own. They put pen to paper
last year and turned the dream
into a reality, establishing a nonprofi
t organization with more than
50 chapters and nearly 2,000
members and counting.
The organization’s self-declared
vision is simple — “to create a world
free of housing discrimination” —
and their mission is to advocate
for fair housing, promote LGBTQ
homeownership, and foster education
and networking within the
real estate industry, according to
their website.
The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance’s
insistence on eradicating
discrimination refl ects the realities
on the ground across the nation at
a time when dozens of states continue
to lack explicit protections
against housing discrimination on
the basis of sexual orientation or
gender identity. Granted, the Biden
administration’s Department of
Housing and Urban Development
announced in February that it
would interpret the Fair Housing
Act to include discrimination protections
Members of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance, seen here at a recent group event, hail from across the country.
for people on the basis
of sexual orientation and gender
identity — a move that was driven
by the Supreme Court’s landmark
ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County.
There is still an urgent need to
pass the Equality Act, which would
codify discrimination protections
nationwide, but it has stalled in a
divided Congress.
The work of the Alliance has
yielded into some unpleasant
discoveries about the extent of
housing discrimination targeting
vulnerable segments of the community.
Thorpe noted that the organization
has been working with
HUD to identify examples of housing
discrimination — and that
work has found several cases of
discrimination against older queer
Americans, particularly in rural
areas and among those who are
in assisted living. Thorpe underscored
the impact of discrimination
on certain age groups, saying
the Alliance is focused on housing
issues ranging from “LGBTQ
youth to aging in place, the whole
life cycle.”
The vulnerability of LGBTQ seniors
in the area of housing is compounded
by established patterns
of housing discrimination facing
people of color in America. That
discrimination, unsurprisingly,
coincides with disparities in home
LGBTQ+ REAL ESTATE ALLIANCE
ownership rates. While 65 percent
of people in America own homes,
that number drops to 49 percent
when factoring in only the LGBTQ
community, according to a 2018
Freddie Mac survey. The home
ownership rates for Black LGBTQ
people sit at 30 percent.
Thorpe cited those disparities as
he emphasized the important role
his organization can play in serving
as a resource for queer people
looking to purchase property.
The Alliance hosted a “First Time
Home Buyers Seminar” on Zoom
last summer during which experts
walked folks through the buying
and lending process, explained the
steps to take towards purchasing
a home, and distributed a 42-page
LGBTQ home-buying guide.
“Real estate is one of the most
benefi cial ways for people to start
their wealth and a lot of people
don’t know how to do it,” Thorpe
explained.
Even in its early stages of development,
the Alliance is demonstrating
its infl uence in places like
Missoula, Montana, where Alliance
CEO Ryan Weyandt has publicly
called for a realtor/pastor in the
region to leave real estate for allegedly
withdrawing his congregation’s
backing of a food assistance
program due to the group’s Pride
Week festivities.
The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance’s
inner workings are just as
important as its external work.
The organization maintains the
position that none of their work
is worth it without a focus on diversity,
which has been refl ected
in various leadership posts. While
white men do occupy many of the
leadership posts in the organization,
its elected national offi cers include
National Vice President-elect
Anita Legacy Blue, who is a Black
out lesbian Air Force veteran based
in Houston, Texas, and the Board
of Directors features leaders like
Feroza Syed, a trans activist from
Atlanta who was selected by Mayor
Keisha Lance Bottoms to serve on
the city’s inaugural LGBTQ Advisory
Board.
The organization has also forged
relationships with groups such as
the National Association of Hispanic
Real Estate Professionals as
well as the Asian Real Estate Association
of America.
“I’m a gay white male and one
of the things I want to make sure
is everyone has a voice,” Thorpe
said. “It’s important to have that
voice.”
The organization is also working
to improve conditions for queer
people who work in real estate or
other areas of housing. The Alliance
facilitates networking events
and provides educational opportunities
for professionals, along with
other perks.
The Alliance’s membership
base includes many allies, which
prompted the group’s leaders to
take another step in their comprehensive
approach to LGBTQinclusive
housing. They started to
facilitate trainings for non-LGBTQ
people, including one virtual event
described as an “Ally Certifi cation
Course” intended to show allies
“how to respectfully engage”
with LGBTQ folks looking to buy
homes.
The educational efforts continued
through the organization’s
annual conference on December
9, which featured a series of panel
discussions about industry-related
issues.
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