Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat,
on Friday introduced a bill that seeks to prohibit discrimination in
housing based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
Kaine's Fair and Equal Housing Act
of 2017 has 15 co-sponsors in the Senate. Virginia Rep. Scott
Taylor introduced the House version of the bill in March.
(Related: GOP
Rep. Scott Taylor endorses Equality Act.)
The proposed legislation would add
gender identity and sexual orientation to the classes protected from
discrimination under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), which was enacted as
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
“As a former civil rights attorney
who focused on fair housing, I learned that a house is more than just
an object. It’s part of the very definition of who you are as a
person and is central to every American’s life,” Kaine said in a
statement. “Because of incomplete protections in federal housing
law, LGBT Americans can face discrimination when they try to buy or
rent a home, just because of who they are. This is about equality,
and no American should be turned away from a home they love because
of who they love. I would like to thank Rep. Taylor for his
leadership on this issue, as well as all the civil rights attorneys
out there fighting for justice on this issue every day.”
“Nobody should face discrimination
about where they live because of who they love,” added Rep. Taylor,
a Republican.
Currently, 22 states, the District of
Columbia and over 200 localities prohibit housing discrimination
based on sexual orientation and gender identity.