Statement by NCLR Federal Policy Attorney Maya Rupert

(Washington D.C., April 8, 2011)—The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) this month launched an innovative multi-media campaign to raise awareness about housing discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.

The yearlong campaign, called “Live Free,” includes images of LGBTQ people in online and print advertisements, with the headline: “Should Gender Stereotypes Influence Where You live? Learn More.” Since President Obama took office, HUD has taken a number significant steps to ensure that LGBTQ people have equal access to fair housing and HUD services and programs.

In February 2011, HUD issued a proposed rule that will provide equal access for LGBTQ people and families to a number of HUD programs and services. NCLR has repeatedly partnered with HUD to assist with this work. Most recently, NCLR was the lead drafter for comments submitted by a coalition of over 30 groups to provide comments on the proposed new rule.

A Statement by NCLR Federal Policy Attorney Maya Rupert:

“The Live Free campaign sends a powerful message that housing discrimination against the LGBTQ community is wrong and deserves national attention. We are particularly excited to see the campaign reflect the diversity of the LGBTQ community. Studies have shown that LGBTQ people of color are disproportionately targeted for housing discrimination, and we applaud HUD for its tremendous leadership in reaching out to LGBTQ people of color in this groundbreaking campaign.”