LGBTQ+ REAL ESTATE ALLIANCE CALLS ON TEXAS REALTORS AND TREPAC TO STOP FUNDING DISCRIMINATORY ELECTED OFFICIALS AND CANDIDATES

The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance has called on Texas Realtors^® and its Texas Realtors Political Action Committee (TREPAC) to refrain from endorsing and funding elected officials and candidates who openly engage in discriminatory behavior against diverse groups including the LGBTQ+ community. Alliance President Erin Morrison and CEO Ryan Weyandt, on behalf of the organization’s Board of Directors, officers, National LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce and The Alliance’s 3,000-plus members, sent a letter to Texas Realtors^® Chief Executive Officer Travis Kessler asking him to take action.

“There are far too many elected officials in Texas who are blatantly discriminatory including several state Senators and Representatives, Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, and Attorney General Ken Paxton who have authored or supported multiple discriminatory bills against the LGBTQ+ community,” Weyandt said. “If these officials were Realtors^® they would have almost certainly been sanctioned for violating Article 10 of the National Association of Realtors^® Code of Ethics. Texas Realtors^® is therefore holding its members to a higher standard than those politicians TREPAC supports. We are asking all Realtor^® associations around the nation, including Texas Realtors^® to recognize that those who discriminate should not receive funding even if they support legislation favorable to our industry. Article 10 should be a uniting force for all of us. It is a common sense consideration.”

The Alliance has put forth an “Article 10 Rule”, already supported by Realtor^® associations in Washington State, Washington D.C., and Palm Springs with several others considering it for adoption.

Article 10 of the National Association of Realtors^® Code of Ethics reads in part:

Realtors^® shall not deny equal professional services to any person for reasons of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Realtors^® shall not be parties to any plan or agreement to discriminate against a person or persons on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity. 

“It is difficult to watch my state lead the nation in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and rhetoric while Texas Realtors^® not only refrains from utilizing its powerful voice to stop it, but seemingly fueling it with the support of numerous discriminatory officials,” Morrison said. “Realtors^®, including me, are not permitted to discriminate. So how can those who receive funds from Texas Realtors^® be able to? While these officials may support the real estate industry or fair housing, at the same time they are a detriment to minority classes. It is time for Texas Realtors^® and other Realtor^® groups around the nation to recognize they are aiding and abetting discrimination with their funding.”

ABOUT THE LGBTQ+ REAL ESTATE ALLIANCEThe LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance is a 501(c)6 non-profit dedicated to empowering the LGBTQ+ community on the path to homeownership as we also advocate on behalf of the community on housing issues. The Alliance, founded in June 2020, is an all-inclusive organization that works to improve the professional lives of its members through a public-facing Alliance Referral Community. The Alliance began accepting members in October 2020 and has more than 2,600 members and dozens of chapters in North America. It was named the 2022 Inman News Innovator of the Year in the MLS, Association, or Industry Organization category. Its public-facing website, LGBTQplusHomes.com, provides information on home buying and selling along with allowing the LGBTQ+ community the opportunity to reach Alliance members for their real estate needs. For more information visit realestatealliance.