The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, and familial status (i.e., presence of children in the household). The Fair Housing Act does not specifically include sexual orientation and gender identity as prohibited bases. However, a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) person’s experience with sexual orientation or gender identity housing discrimination may still be covered by the Fair Housing Act.

Download our LGBT housing discrimination flyer.

Additional links:

• Miami Valley Fair Housing Center
• Equality Ohio

For example:

• A gay man is evicted because his landlord believes he will infect other tenants with HIV/AIDS. That situation may constitute illegal disability discrimination under the Fair Housing Act because the man is perceived to have a disability, HIV/AIDS.
• A property manager refuses to rent an apartment to a prospective tenant who is transgender. If the housing denial is because of the prospective tenant’s non-conformity with gender stereotypes, it may constitute illegal discrimination on the basis of sex under the Fair Housing Act.

The City of Columbus protects sexual orientation and gender identity, as do some other cities around Ohio (see table at bottom of page).

In addition, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has issued regulations to ensure equal access of LGBT persons to housing provided with HUD funding or with loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) as well as to loans provided by FHA-insured lenders. For more information, visit HUD’s LGBT page, which has a fact sheet, flyers and a webinar. Also see this 2/23/2015 HUD memo offering guidance on sexual orientation and gender identity in FHA-insured mortgages as well as on appropriate placement for transgender persons in homeless shelters.

Copyright 2014–2021 Central Ohio Fair Housing Association, Inc.