Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

HUD's ad campaign promotes equal housing access
by Dana Rudolph, Keen News Service
2011-04-20

This article shared 2782 times since Wed Apr 20, 2011
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced that it is launching a national media campaign to promote equal access to housing regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity, among other characteristics. Also, new data shows a marked increase in the number of LGBT housing discrimination complaints filed under existing law.

The ad campaign is the latest in a series of moves HUD has made to address discrimination against LGBT people or those perceived to be.

The new campaign, "Live Free," will run throughout the year and include "Facebook ads, targeted print ads, digital videos, and podcasts," according to a HUD press release.

One print ad asks, "Should Gender Stereotypes Influence Where You Live?" and directs people to learn more about HUD's LGBT initiatives at HUD's Fair Housing Web site, www.hud.gov/fairhousing.

Last July, HUD issued a clarification of existing policy, stating that, although the Fair Housing Act—a pivotal civil rights act that prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, and familial status—does not specifically cover sexual orientation- or gender identity-based discrimination, it may still cover it in other ways. For example, gender-identity discrimination may be seen as sex discrimination.

Since that guidance was issued, the number of complaints from LGBT individuals to HUD about housing discrimination has increased, according to HUD. From July 1, 2010 through Feb. 28, 2011, LGBT individuals filed 47 complaints of gender-based housing discrimination. During the same date range in 2009 and 2010, before the guidance was issued, there were only three such complaints.

No national study has quantified how many LGBT people have faced housing discrimination, although several smaller studies and examples have indicated pervasive discrimination, especially against transgender people and LGBT seniors.

HUD has been preparing a national study to fill this gap, with a target date for reporting findings in late 2012. It may also include LGBT discrimination in its decennial study of housing discrimination, which has, in the past, looked at racial- and ethnic-based discrimination, according to a HUD spokesperson.

HUD has also instructed staff to inform individuals about state and local LGBT protections that may apply to them. And HUD has told its grant applicants—who seek a total of $3.25 billion in federal funding—they must comply with such state and local laws, where they exist.

Additionally, in January 2011, HUD announced a proposed new rule intended to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in its core housing programs—programs that impact 4.4 million units of housing in the country.

The proposed rule would prohibit owners and operators of HUD-assisted or -financed housing from inquiring about applicants' sexual orientation or gender identity, and prevent them from excluding otherwise eligible families if one or more members is or is perceived to be LGBT. It would also prevent lenders from using sexual orientation or gender identity of an applicant as a basis to determine eligibility for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgages, which represent one-third of all new mortgages in the country.

Many comments on the HUD rule simply expressed support—including a letter representing the 1.1 million members of the National Association of Realtors.

Other comments included specific suggestions. Maya Rupert, federal policy attorney at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, urged "a more explicit definition of who qualifies as a 'child' in the definition of 'family'" under the rule. Rupert suggested specifying "biological or adopted children, stepchildren, children for whom anyone in the family is standing in loco parentis, and foster children," thus providing protection to families where one parent may not be legally recognized as such.

In addition, several people, including Kristina Wertz of the Transgender Law Center, suggested modifying the proposed rule to clarify that housing providers "may only inquire about an individual's gender identity for the purpose of placing them in a gender- specific accommodation," but not "regarding a person's birth sex, anatomy or medical history."

There are currently no explicit federal protections that ban housing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Twenty states plus the District of Columbia have housing protections specific to sexual orientation, and 13 states plus the District have protections specific to gender identity. Approximately 150 cities, towns, and counties have LGBT protections as well, according to HUD.

At the end of the last session of Congress, Reps. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., John Conyers, D-Mich., and Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., introduced the Housing Opportunities Made Equal, HOME, Act, which would amend the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination in housing, not just HUD housing, on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, source of income, or marital status. Individuals seeking redress under the Fair Housing Act may bring a lawsuit in federal district court or file an administrative complaint with HUD.

The bill would also expand the Fair Housing Act's definition of "familial status" to include "anyone standing in loco parentis" ("in place of a parent") to a minor.

A spokesperson for Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said Nadler hopes to reintroduce the bill "soon," although he did not have an exact date.

With Republican control of the House this session, however, Nadler lost his chairmanship of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. The new chair for the renamed Subcommittee on the Constitution is Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz. Trent received a 0 percent score from the Human Rights Campaign for each of the past two Congresses, indicating he never voted in favor of legislation to further LGBT equality.

©2011 by Keen News Service. All rights reserved.


This article shared 2782 times since Wed Apr 20, 2011
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

City Lit Executive Artistic Director Brian Pastor talks theater, comics, queerness 2024-03-26
- City Lit Theater has announced its programming for the 2024-25 season—which will be the company's 44th. It will also be the first season to be programmed under the leadership of Brian Pastor (they/them), who will assume ...


Gay News

Brown Elephant Returns To Northalsted 2024-03-26
- Brown Elephant's Lake View location is moving to Northalsted and already accepting donations. Howard Brown Health, the largest LGBTQ+ health center in the midwest, operates three Brown Elephant resale shops in the Chicagoland area to help ...


Gay News

Center on Halsted's signature Human First Gala to return 2024-03-11
--From a press release - CHICAGO, IL — Center on Halsted's signature Human First Gala will be held on Saturday, April 20 at The Geraghty. The gala brings together LGBTQ+ community members and allies for an evening of celebration to recognize ...


Gay News

SAVOR At Willies 'n Waffles, sexuality is on the menu 2024-02-12
- Having written about Chicago's culinary scene for at least 15 years, this writer has covered all sorts of spots—from Michelin-starred upscale establishments to those so-called "holes in the wall" that can serve some of the best ...


Gay News

Chicagoans indulge in a World of Chocolate 2024-02-11
- AIDS Foundation of Chicago hosted its 2024 World of Chocolate celebration the evening of Feb. 9 at Union Station. Top chocolatiers from across the city allowed guests to sample numerous confections, hors d'oevres and libations for ...


Gay News

TAWANI Foundation commits $25K to StartOut, supporting LGBTQ+ entrepreneurship 2024-02-08
--From a press release - CHICAGO — February 8, 2024 — The TAWANI Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that provides support in the areas of arts and culture, historical preservation, health and wellness, LGBTQ+ and human rights ...


Gay News

The Jeff Awards announces the 50th-anniversary non-Equity theater nominations 2024-02-06
--From a press release - (Feb. 6, 2024 - Chicago) — Celebrating its 50th anniversary awarding recognition for Non-Equity theater, the Joseph Jefferson Awards announces its nominations for theater excellence among Non-Equity theater during the ...


Gay News

Comcast NBCUniversal partners with News is Out, Word In Black on fellowship program highlighting Black, LGBTQ+ issues 2024-02-06
--From a press release - Digital Equity Local Voices Lab Fellows to be placed at 16 local publications to receive training and create content Philadelphia (Feb. 6, 2024) — News is Out [ https://newsisout.com ] , a queer media collaborative of ...


Gay News

Mr. Chicago Leather contest returns to Touche following 2022 controversy 2024-02-01
- The Mr. Chicago Leather contest returned this past weekend, January 26-28, to Touché Chicago, over a year after numerous community members were incensed by a racist incident. But the bartender who quit Touché following the incident ...


Gay News

Looking back at Chicago LGBTQ+ community's stand against Anheuser-Busch 2024-01-30
- As conservatives across the country boycotted Anheuser-Busch products for Bud Light's partnership with trans woman Dylan Mulvaney in 2023, LGBTQ+ bars in Chicago removed their products for a different reason. Following the deeply negative response to ...


Gay News

WORLD Toronto businesses, French law, Thai bills, fight in Jamaica, Jonathan Bailey 2023-12-22
- Some Toronto LGBTQ+ business owners say they are worried that they're being shut out of a provincial grant program because their businesses sometimes include sexual products or services, which are banned in the program's eligibility rules, ...


Gay News

Openly gay OpenAI CEO back in charge of company 2023-11-22
- On Nov. 21, OpenAI said it had reinstated Sam Altman as its chief executive—the latest chapter in a saga that involved a boardroom coup and staff backlash. The company, which is behind ChatGPT, also said it ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Bishop removed, business news, Jezebel shutting down, MAP head 2023-11-17
- Pope Francis removed the bishop of Tyler, Texas—a conservative prelate active on social media who has been a fierce critic of the pontiff, PBS reported. A one-line statement from the Vatican said the pope had "relieved" ...


Gay News

Howard Brown Health Workers United members gather for post-strike rally 2023-11-16
- Howard Brown Health (HBH) Workers United members held an evening post-Unfair Labor Practices (ULP) strike rally Nov. 15 in front of the new multi-story HBH Halsted clinic. It was the conclusion of their two-day strike that ...


Gay News

Longtime Edgewater framing business owner contemplates what's next 2023-11-06
- The large spit stains were still crusty and dry on Wall to Wall Framing's window on Saturday. They're evidence that remains more than two weeks after the incident that brought attention to the custom-frame shop's years-long ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.