iBuyer Zillow added a new feature to its home listings on Tuesday.
Now, when potential homebuyers look at a listing, there is an LGBT Local Legal Protections badge, a data-powered resource showing if listings are in communities where state and local regulations explicitly protect individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender from discrimination.
All property listings on Zillow will feature information on the home’s jurisdiction and local laws that protect fair and equal treatment in housing and employment, including public accommodations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
“It’s 2020, and yet, unfortunately, in many parts of the United States, LGBTQ+ home shoppers still face housing discrimination,” said Zillow Chief Corporate Relations Officer Dawn Lyon. “That’s why we strongly support federal-level protections as part of the Equality Act.”
“In lieu of federal law and in the spirit of ‘turning on the lights,’ we want to give people the most information possible when buying, renting and financing a home, including which communities provide equal protection under the law for all,” Lyon continued.
The company said that it has a shared belief that everyone deserves to find a place to call home, regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity.
Zillow said it’s actively investing in more resources and products to help all underrepresented and marginalized communities safely find their next place to call home.
Zillow’s Consumer Housing Trends Report for 2019 found that 28% of LGBTQ+ buyers and 29% of LGBTQ+ renters said they completely agree with the statement “I feel accepted for who I am by those around me where I live.” This is compared to 51% of cisgender heterosexual buyers and 40% of cisgender heterosexual renters who said the same.
In the U.S., there are only 22 states, including the District of Columbia, that prohibit housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, while 25 have no explicit prohibitions, according to the Movement Advancement Project.
