In recent years, June has been recognized as Pride Month, encompassing the diversity of celebrations and members of the LGBTQ+ community worldwide. Most Pride events were originally held in June to memorialize the Stonewall Rebellion which occurred in New York City on June 28, 1969. During a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, approximately 200 patrons and neighbors resisted detention and disbursement, with police eventually barricading themselves inside the bar. Many historians point to Stonewall as the event that galvanized the modern LGBTQ+ movement.  

If the right to assemble in a private tavern was not guaranteed in 1969, imagine the perils of trying to purchase a home or simply find housing. Recent victories such as the 2015 Supreme Court decision making same-sex marriages legal in all 50 states may be helping though; the number of married LGBT homeowners is 73 percent, according to the National Association of Gay & Lesbian Real Estate Professionals (NAGLREP). 

While much progress has been made with regard to legal rights and social acceptance in the United States, the LGBTQ+ community is not federally protected from housing discrimination. The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) has prioritized the federal Equality Act which would extend fair housing and other civil rights protections to LGBTQ+ Americans. This would bring federal law in line with the REALTOR® Code of Ethics which forbids members from discriminating based on sexual orientation and gender identity. 

NAR has partnered in the past with NAGLREP to support the Equality Act and the group also produced the LGBT Real Estate Report, A View of LGBT Homeownership Trends and Economic Impact. Recently NAR announced a partnership with the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance or “The Alliance.” The Alliance has quickly made a name for itself as an events-oriented networking group that will be a force for good in the real estate industry. To learn more about the Chicago Chapter, visit The Alliance’s Facebook page 

Editor’s Note: Celebrate Our Heritage This Year To Keep Us United, Strong and Resilient 

It is the heritage of EVERY one of us that makes our nation great. This year, Illinois REALTORS® will celebrate heritage months through an interesting perspective, highlighting our industry partners, to help unite us, make us stronger and more resilient. 

Each month, please review our information on the Illinois REALTORS® website, blog and social channels. Then share with us, either in writing or through a video, historical facts and/or stories of prominent historical REALTORS® figures that we may have missed or your thoughts on the coming heritage months.