The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Equality Act last week, which, in part, strengthens the anti-discrimination measures.  

The bill, which now heads to the Senate for consideration, aims to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, public education, federal funding, credit and the jury system. It is especially important in the context of buying and selling homes. 

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) applauded the House vote in a press release.  NAR President Charlie Oppler said that “discrimination of any kind limits our shared goals, undermines our values and inhibits our ability to conduct business.” 

“NAR amended its official policies more than a decade ago to ensure Realtors were upholding Fair Housing protections for the LGBTQ community, and we look forward to continuing our work to eliminate discrimination from America’s housing market,” he added.