(left to right)Chicago Department of Health LGBT director Simone Koehliner, U.S. Housing
and Urban Development Assistant Secretary Raphael Bostic, and HUD soecial assistant Rebecca
Parks,listen to housing discrimination concerns.HUD is about begin a study on housing
discrimination against gay, lesbian,bisexual, and transgendered individuals this year.
Post-Exchange/JAMIE LOO

Housing discrimination against gays to be studied

Chicago hosts first listening session in preparation for national survey.

By Jamie Loo, First Amendment reporter

March 8, 2010

CHICAGO— The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is doing a national survey on housing discrimination against the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgendered community and kicked off their efforts in the city.

Federal officials came to the Chicago at the end of February to listen to housing discrimination concerns from the GLBT community. HUD Assistant Secretary Raphael Bostic said the department conducts a comprehensive housing discrimination survey every 10 years on various groups and that this will be the first time the GLBT community will be studied. Bostic said the listening sessions will help them gather information and get feedback on what data and collection methods will work best for the study.

Advocates at the meeting said many GLBT persons face discrimination after they get housing. Some landlords will ignore cries for help from GLBT persons who are harassed by neighbors and in some cases the landlords themselves are the aggressors. Full Story