Ryan Weyandt is CEO of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance, a nonprofit which lobbies on issues affecting the LGBTQ community in real estate and connects consumers with housing resources. As he has lobbied against recent state-level legislation that broadly encroaches on the rights of LGBTQ people, he says it is time for the real estate community to start talking about the role of REALTORS® in the conversation, and the effect discrimination has on housing markets.
“It’s much more than just an ethical imperative,” he tells RISMedia. “This is a business imperative. And to stay viable in an incredibly diverse country that we are in, folks have to understand that they need to work with people who aren’t necessarily going to philosophically align with them on everything, but are still entitled to the right to pursue homeownership.”
Over the last few months, Weyandt and the Alliance have penned open letters to state-level associations, urging them to cease funding or endorsing candidates who support discriminatory legislation. Adopting a policy he calls the “Article 10 Rule,” which refers to the REALTOR® Code of Ethics and would encourage associations to consider ethical factors when endorsing candidates, is “common sense” and “would be a uniting force for us all.”
Some local associations, including Greater Capital Area Association of REALTORS® (GCAAR) in Washington, D.C., and associations in California and Washington State have already adopted the rule, according to Weyandt.
While Weyandt emphasizes the ethical element—that LGBTQ folks have a “right to exist” first and foremost—the business consequences of discrimination are becoming more and more of an issue. While the full effect of these state bills is not yet known, there has been some anecdotal evidence that these laws affect where people choose to live and buy homes.
According to a UCLA study cited by the Alliance, 56% of LGBTQ parents considered leaving Florida after the state passed an anti-LGBTQ bill last year, and 16% began the process of moving.
Weyandt says those concerns are becoming acute among real estate professionals as well as LGBTQ+ folks. He describes an upcoming conference call with an “intimidating” list of participants, discussing how to prepare for a “flood of migrants” who are leaving states with discriminatory laws for safety in states that offer explicit protections for the LGBTQ+ community.
Just recently, former NBA superstar Dwyane Wade told the media his decision to vacate Florida in 2021 was due to the state’s policies around transgender rights. Wade’s daughter is transgender.
“If REALTORS® aren’t able to both resemble the populations that we’re trying to serve, and work with the populations that we’re trying to serve, that will be a huge market loss,” Weyandt says.
Action and reaction
Texas REALTORS® and Florida REALTORS®—two associations that the Alliance specifically called on to adopt an Article 10 Rule—did not respond to RISMedia’s requests for comment. Those states in particular have seen a surge of bills targeting the LGBTQ community.
Many have argued, Weyandt says, that this kind of rule is outside the scope of what REALTOR® organizations and political action committees (PACs) are designed to influence. The associations, and the PACs they control, should focus on housing issues—and only housing issues—and not base their endorsements or contributions on social issues, they say.
On the issue of anti-LGBTQ laws, there have been some “very serious” conversations recently between the Alliance and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), according to Weyandt, with REALTOR® members across the country concerned or upset that their political contributions are funding anti-LGBTQ policies.
A spokesperson for NAR told RISMedia they have “supported the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance in various ways since its founding,” and that NAR “(maintains) a constant dialogue with (Alliance leadership) to advance our shared goals, especially in Fair Housing enforcement.”
But a person familiar with NAR’s thinking said that it did not see the Code of Ethics as something that should be considered when making political advocacy decisions, and had conveyed this to the Alliance. The person said that NAR saw applying the code to political candidates would be difficult, and that it was never intended to be applied to non-REALTORS®.
Weyandt argues that REALTORS® should see their ethical obligations under Article 10 as something that necessarily extends to the people and organizations they choose to support. He notes that laws with discriminatory effects have been introduced against other groups that bleed into the real estate industry, which Weyandt cites as a reason for REALTORS® to see their advocacy power in a broader, more holistic way.
A proposal in Texas this year would have banned certain foreign nationals from purchasing land in the state—most notably Chinese citizens.That bill was significantly modified after pushback, with many saying it would have depressed real estate markets while singling out immigrants who had nothing to do with the law’s stated purpose: addressing alleged national security threats
Advocacy outlook
Chris Suranna is currently a member of the GCAAR Board of Directors, which recently adopted language that allowed the association to consider ethical issues when endorsing or donating to candidates (he says the “Article 10 Rule” moniker has created some confusion, and that GCAAR wants to focus on the substance of the policy).
“When you’re looking at any candidate, you’re always looking at all facets of them,” he says. “We always like to say, are they REALTOR® party advocates? Are they for all things housing? How are they going to help us move our housing needs, the needs of our members as well as the public forward?”
Suranna, who is also co-chair of the Alliance’s Advocacy and Public Policy Committee, says that a version of the “Article 10 Rule” is really a natural extension of this, considering how discrimination affects the real estate industry and REALTORS®. More than one in 10 (12.2%) LGBTQ folks surveyed by the Alliance last year said fear of discrimination was a primary barrier to them becoming homeowners.
The Article 10 Rule is also only part of a larger process, according to Suranna, and he clarifies that it is a “statement of principle” rather than a binding policy, directing GCAAR to consider hateful rhetoric or conduct from a candidate when choosing to endorse or donate. Every decision is still made on a holistic and individual basis, however, he emphasizes.
And even though D.C. already has protections for LGBTQ people by law, Suranna says it was important to make sure his association is explicit about what their priorities are. It is also how conversations grow and spread, he adds, helping more and more people take a broader view of what REALTORS® can (or should) do with their significant political power.
GCAAR has already begun working with other statewide associations in the region to discuss the Article 10 Rule and its principles and purpose, according to Suranna.
“It’s conversations that we have individually, with our colleagues around the country, that get them to say, ‘I know you do this. How about putting your money where your mouth is and make this statement?’” he says.
In states like Texas or Florida, the conversations are necessarily different. Weyandt says he has heard the argument that REALTORS® not only shouldn’t get involved in the debate, but couldn’t affect outcomes even if an Article 10 Rule was implemented.
“I don’t accept the premise that (REALTORS®)…aren’t influencing the result of the elections,” Weyandt says. “I don’t accept that premise. I think that with their PAC dollars, they have the power and the ability through the REALTOR® megaforce…to bring a candidate who actually does support LGBTQ and minority rights and fair housing into the picture, as a viable candidate.”
Weyandt also acknowledges that a lot of people don’t want to have the conversation about how these laws harm LGBTQ people, and some don’t even want to hear about how it affects the housing industry. The reality is, discrimination is harmful, and Weyandt predicts that states where those practices continue will feel the effects—in real estate and beyond.
“This is terrible for business,” he predicts. “The 50-year perspective of homeownership falls on the minority communities.”
On the other hand, there is enormous space for REALTORS® to come together, he adds. The aspect of inclusivity should resonate in the real estate industry, Weyandt says, and additionally, REALTORS® will see that their business depends on serving every client and every community.
People identifying as LGBTQ remain a relatively small, but growing, subset of the overall population—7.1%, according to Gallup. The percentage of LGBTQ families who are homeowners is also smaller than the national average, and that hasn’t grown significantly in recent years, according to data collected by NAR.
But Gen Z, a demographic that is ready to enter prime homebuying years—and has demonstrated a greater propensity for homeownership compared to millennials—is also far more likely to identify as LGBTQ. While Florida, Texas and other southern states have experienced extremely healthy real estate markets in recent years, both Suranna and Weyandt say the push for REALTORS® to align their advocacy with their values is going to become more and more urgent—both practically and as a matter of morals.
“That’s what we’re fighting for, to make sure that we’re bringing more voice or understanding to these elected officials at the state and local level,” Suranna explains. “It’s all about housing for all.”
