The National Association of Gay & Lesbian Real Estate Professionals (NAGLREP) will stream its fourth annual LGBT Housing Policy Summit on Facebook Live on Wednesday, April 29. 

The virtual  summit will showcase how the real estate industry can work towards decreasing housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, increasing LGBT homeownership levels and attracting more LGBT community members into the profession.

The event will feature more than 20 speakers including U.S. Congressman Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) who has served eastern Los Angeles County and western Orange County since 2012. He is a staunch ally of the LGBT community and is a Vice Chair of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus. Congressman Lowenthal was the first member of Congress to fly the LBGT rainbow flag outside of his Capitol Hill office.

“While current events prevent us from meeting in Washington, D.C., we moved our event online to ensure the needs of the LBGT community in housing remain top of mind,” said NAGLREP Policy Committee Chair Jack Barry. “The LGBT community’s home ownership levels remain low at 49% vs the national average of 65%, impacted by a variety of factors including the threat of discrimination at every step of the home buying and selling process. Last May the Equality Act passed in the U.S. House of Representatives and, if it were passed in the Senate, would amend Federal Fair Housing Law to include protections for the LGBT community in both housing and credit. Currently the bill sits idly in the Senate so we must continue to raise awareness for it nationally and locally.”

Barry pointed out that NAGLREP’s profile within the LBGT community continues to grow. The   Housing Policy Summit will feature such LGBT notables as David Stacy, Government Affairs Director for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Jonathan Lovitz, Senior Vice President for the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce and Shawn Gaylord, Executive Director of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus. 

The NAGLREP event will also showcase the findings of the recently released LGBT Real Estate Report that addressed how inequality in the lending sector impacts the LGBT community. Kimber White and Valerie Saunders, who Co-Chair NAGLREP’s LGBT Mortgage Advisory Group, will share insights on how LGBT discrimination affects home financing.   Freddie Mac Director of Government Relations Anthony Hutchinson is also on the agenda, along with leaders from Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Bank of America, Truist, US Bank, Quicken Loans, Prime Lending and the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Bryan Greene, Director, Fair Housing Policy at the National Association of Realtors will share insights, plus a powerful panel  of residential real estate leaders from Realogy, RE/MAX, HSF Affiliates, Engel & Völkers, eXp Realty and EXIT Realty.

The event, sponsored by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, will air on Facebook.com/NAGLREP on Wednesday, April 29.

Below follows the agenda (full list of speakers available at NAGLREP.com):

9:30 a.m.    Welcome remarks
9:40 a.m.    Overview of the LGBT Real Estate Report
9:45 a.m.     What the LGBT Community Can Do Now
9:55 a.m.    A Look at LGBT Initiatives with Freddie Mac
10:10 a.m.    Welcoming the LGBT Community to Real Estate
11:05 a.m.    The Business Case for LGBT Inclusion
11:25 a.m.     Interview with Bryan Greene
11:45 a.m.     Inclusion in the Real Estate Industry
12:15 p.m.    LGBT Mortgage Advisory Group Update
12:30 p.m.    U.S. Congressman Alan Lowenthal
1:00 p.m.    Engaging with the LGBT Equality Caucus
1:30 p.m.        Closing remarks

About NAGLREPEstablished in 2007, The National Association of Gay and Lesbian Real Estate Professionals (NAGLREP) is a mission driven 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with nearly 2,800 members.  NAGLREP advocates on behalf of the rights of the LGBT community on issues related to housing and discrimination laws. It hosts a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) and allied REALTOR referral network which also includes mortgage professionals, title agents, insurance agents, commercial agents, trainers and educators. Visit www.naglrep.com for more information.