New Bill Seeks to Expand Housing Protection to LGBT Community

May 09, 2017

New legislation introduced in Congress seeks to expand housing discrimination protection classes to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Equality Act of 2017 would provide federal protections for the LGBT community in housing and credit access, as well as in employment and public accommodations. Forty-six Democrats and two Independents in the Senate back the bill, while companion legislation in the House of Representatives is backed by 194 representatives.

While the Fair Housing Act was never amended to include the rights of LGBT Americans, the Department of Housing and Urban Development issued rules relating to protections in federally funded housing developments. According to the nonprofit Human Rights Campaign, the Equality Act was introduced with the most congressional support for any piece of pro-LGBT legislation.

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Phil Hall

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May 09, 2017

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