IL landlords need to understand that discrimination against gays is illegal

Last night I had dinner with Mike and Jim, a nice gay couple that I helped buy a house in Highland Park. Joining us was a gentleman I hadn’t met before named Ron.

As the night went on the topic of discussion turned to real estate. Ron shared that he and his partner, Rick, rent in Buffalo Grove. Ron also shared with us how while looking at a townhouse to rent he mentioned to the landlords that he had a partner and referred to his partner as “he”. He could sense from that point that they were no longer interested in renting to him and he never heard from them again.

I asked when that happened since sexual orientation and gender identity were added to the Illinois Human Rights Act in 2005. The act covers employment, access to financial credit, the availability of public accommodations and real estate transactions. He said that it was a couple of years ago. Clearly, not all landlords in Illinois understand that refusing to rent to a gay couple is illegal.

Discrimination in real estate matters is not ok whether you’re gay, straight, bisexual, asexual or unsure of your sexuality. For more information on Illinois Fair Housing Laws visit The Housing Site.

Organization
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Good recommendations of related professionals
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