West Virginia Senate Approves Bill Protecting LGBs from Housing Discrimination
One out of every three people who identify as gay or lesbian report that they or someone they know has been unable to rent or buy a home because of their sexuality, according to a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Even more have experienced discrimination in other forms, including being denied the ability to list both partners' names on their home's deed or lease, or facing insurance companies who refuse claims or cancel policies because they are "unrelated".
There is federal protection against housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, family status, or disability, but not sexual orientation or gender identity. To date, only twenty states protect gays and lesbians seeking a home, fifteen of which also extend protections to transgender individuals.
The West Virginia Senate approved a bill last week that would make it the twenty-first state to disallow discrimination in housing on the basis of sexuality. The bill also protects gay employees from being fired for their sexual orientation. It must still be approved by the state's House, where similar legislation failed to pass last year.
Family Fairness recognizes the importance of laws protecting LGBT families from discrimination in housing, and so we will be adding information about your state's policies in our State of the Law section.
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