Katie Porter: “Despite the enactment of marriage equality in 2015, same-gender couples continue to experience persistent and pervasive…”

“Despite the enactment of marriage equality in 2015, same-gender couples continue to experience persistent and pervasive discrimination when it comes to home ownership. A recent study by Iowa State University found systemic discrimination against LGBTQ borrowers. The study found that, despite having a lower credit risk overall, same-sex borrowers are 73 percent more likely to be denied a mortgage loan. And when they are approved, they face mortgage interest rates that are 0.02 to 0.2 percent higher, on average, translating to tens of thousands of dollars in extra repayment. Twenty-six States across the United States do not have statewide housing protections for the LGBTQ community, and the Fair Housing Act does not protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals. The Equality Act would change this. This bill would not only improve the lives of members of the LGBTQ community, it would make neighborhoods across the country more diverse. And making our neighborhoods more diverse means more Americans get to know and understand their neighbors who are gay, trans, or queer; and with that understanding and the friendships and the neighbor relationships, we hope to get tolerance. This is how we magnify the wave of LGBTQ acceptance this country has experienced in the last decade. Imagine growing up in a community where you never have any LGBTQ role models; where students in your school were harassed for even being perceived as gay.…”