February 11, 2021

Brown: Discrimination Has No Place in Our Housing System

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) – Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs – released the following statement after the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced it would  immediately ensure that people are protected from housing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in compliance with the Supreme Court’s Bostock v. Clayton County decision:

“No one should be excluded from housing based on who they are or who they love,” said Senator Brown.  “I applaud the Biden Administration for taking steps to ensure that HUD is finally carrying out the Bostock ruling’s confirmation that civil rights protections extend to sexual orientation and gender identity. As Chairman of the Senate Banking and Housing Committee, I will work with the Administration and HUD to fully enforce our nation’s fair housing laws.”

On background attribute to Senator Brown’s office:

Senator Brown has long advocated for the Department of Housing and Urban Development to take action to rid discrimination from our housing system – including discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. In 2013, Senator Brown introduced the HOME Act and he is a cosponsor of the Equality Act. Both bills would prohibit housing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or source of income. In October, Senator Brown released a Civil Rights Report outlining how the Trump Administration systematically undermined 50 years of fair housing progress.

Last year the Supreme Court affirmed that civil rights protections based on “sex” include discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Finally, last month President  Biden signed an executive order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.  

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