HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (CA-48) made comments this week indicating his support for allowing housing discrimination against members of of the LGBTQ community — discrimination that has been illegal in the state of California for nearly two decades. The comments cost him the endorsement of the National Association of Realtors less than two weeks before Rohrabacher faces his toughest reelection battle in his Congressional career.
Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization, released the following statement on behalf of Executive Director Rick Zbur:
“Californians decided years ago that we don’t support housing discrimination — not based on race, not based on religion and not based on sexual orientation or gender identity. And while Dana Rohrabacher may think it’s okay to discriminate against people because of who they are or whom they love, Orange County families don’t. His full-throated endorsement of discrimination is just one more reason that Rohrabacher doesn’t deserve to represent Orange County in Congress.”
Rohrabacher’s comments — and the loss of support from the powerful National Association of Realtors — comes less than two weeks before Rohrabacher faces voters in the June 5 California primary. The Congressman faces his toughest reelection campaign yet from a total of 15 challengers. Equality California recently announced its endorsement of Democrat Harley Rouda, who strongly condemned Rohrabacher’s comments on Twitter.
According to the Orange County Register, the Congressman told a delegation from the Orange County Association of Realtors on May 16 “that he opposes extending the 50-year-old Fair Housing Act to gays and lesbians.” While federal law does not explicitly protect members of the LGBTQ community from housing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act has prohibited such discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation since 2000. The law was further amended to prohibit housing discrimination on the basis of gender identity in 2004.
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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org
