After a landmark ruling by a federal appeals court found that LGBT workers are protected by the Civil Rights Act despite the law not containing specific language about sexual orientation, LGBT rights have secured another win after a federal judge ruled that the Fair Housing Act covers LGBT couples.
The ruling was handed down by U.S. District Court judge Raymond Moore in a case involving a same-sex married couple, one of whom is transgender, with two children who attempted to rent a house in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado. After turning down the couple, Rachel and Tonya Smith, because of concerns about the noise level created by the children, the landlord, Deepika Avanti, cited the couple’s “unique relationship” as something that might bring unnecessary attention.
“I was fairly certain what she was implying,” Tonya Smith told The Post. “But I asked for clarification. She said because it was a small town and everybody gossips. Our unique relationship and our status would be the talk of the town. And she wouldn’t be able to keep a low profile anymore.”
In response, the Smiths sued Avanti.
The court found that the landlord’s refusal to rent to the couple violated the Fair Housing Act, which has only previously been applied to discrimination cases involving religion, race, and sex.
The decision comes a week after President Trump signed an executive order that rolled back LGBT protections in the workplace.
(Via Reuters)