The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced new regulations effective March 5 that prohibit discrimination in HUD programs based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
HUD programs are already subject to the Fair Housing Act, and this rule adds these new protections without amending the act; the Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, and national origin.
In 2011, the REALTOR® Code of Ethics was amended to prohibit housing discrimination based on sexual orientation in addition to the seven classes named in the Fair Housing Act. NAR's Diversity Committee will discuss revising the Code to mirror the new HUD rules at the Midyear Meetings in Washington, D.C., this spring.
Read more about the rule as well as the rule's full language on HUD's Web site.
-Greg Wilson
The REI Mentor (http://www.reimentor.com)
