LGBTQ+ REAL ESTATE ALLIANCE CELEBRATES 1ST ANNIVERSARY WITH MORE THAN 1,700 MEMBERS

The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance today celebrates the first anniversary of its launch having attracted more than 1,700 members, partnerships with the leading companies, brands and Realtor^® associations and a long list of achievements in its first 12 months. The Alliance has become the real estate industry’s most prominent voice in the continued fight to protect the LGBTQ+ community from housing discrimination as it also works to grow the community’s homeownership levels and improving the real estate industry’s recognition and understanding of the LGBTQ+ community’s housing needs. 

The Alliance, which was founded in June 2020, launched four months later under the leadership of elected President John Thorpe, a 10-person Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer Ryan Weyandt.

Some of the key highlights of the organization’s first 12 months include:

• Launching more than 50 chapters
• Attracting dozens of major national partners including Founding Members Realogy, First American Title, Realtor.com, Engel & Völkers, HomeServices of America, Truist, Bank of America, Chase, PrimeLending, Prosperity Home Mortgage, EXIT Realty, US Bank, Caliber Home Loans, RE/MAX, National Association of REALTORS®.
• Signing Memorandums of Understanding with 15 Realtor organizations including the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), along with joint efforts with the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) and National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP).
• Holding its first LGBTQ+ Housing Policy Symposium
• The publication of a comprehensive LGBTQ+ First-Time Homebuyers Guide and creation of a consumer-facing website.
• Hosting the nation’s first national LGBTQ+ First-Time Homebuyers Seminar
• Issuing a groundbreaking report on the impact of lifelong discrimination on LGBTQ+ home buyers and sellers
• Embracing the intersectionality of our community by creating inclusive programming for People of Color, active military and veterans, women, etc. 
• Developing the industry’s exclusive LGBTQ+ Real Estate Top Producers List
• Welcoming hundreds of attendees to its exclusive “Alliance Certified Ally” education curriculum 

“It has been a remarkable year in so many ways and I look back with awe at how a group of nearly 60 dedicated real estate professionals came together last summer and spent countless hours creating a transparent and inclusive blueprint for what we now lovingly call the Alliance, an organization which has become synonymous with the LGBTQ+ community and DEI efforts in real estate,” Thorpe said. “Our October 1 anniversary has even more meaning as it comes just days before National Coming Out Day (October 11) when so many are given a platform to be their authentic selves in a society that is becoming increasingly supportive of our community. ”

Thorpe pointed out that The Alliance was forced to cancel its inaugural conference last month due to a spike in COVID-19 in Las Vegas, but will hold Experience: The Alliance virtually on December 9.

“We have a lot of work ahead of us including continuing the fight to get the Equality Act through the Senate to a full vote,” Weyandt said. “There is absolutely no reason that sexual orientation and gender identity should not be protected classes in Fair Housing law and that LGBTQ+ people should not be protected from all forms of discrimination at the federal level. We also have a unique opportunity to showcase the emotional and financial benefits of homeownership to the LGBTQ+ community which continues to lag far behind the national average in homeownership rate. By providing our members with a platform to educate and reach the community, our community within the industry finally has the opportunity to make a substantial impact in touching lives we never thought possible. It is also critical for us to continue to attract allies of the LGBTQ+ community and provide them with an understanding of the unique housing needs, challenges and opportunities LGBTQ+ people have today.”

UCLA’s Williams Institute reports the LGBTQ+ homeownership rate to be 49.8%, far below the U.S. Census’ current national figure of 65.6%.