Area study says gays face housing biases
Sunday, 2, 2004
By Ed Finnerty
The Kalamazoo Gazette
River Artz-Iffland has heard story after story about housing discrimination from others in the gay and lesbian community.

Gay couples denied one-bedroom apartments. Homes for sale -- but not to their type. Harassment from neighbors.

A study released in April gives credence, she says, to those stories. Gay and lesbian couples are indeed being discriminated against when trying to rent, buy and finance homes in Kalamazoo County, according to a study commissioned by the Partnership for Fair Housing Center of Southwest Michigan.

Last fall and winter, the center sent pairs of trained "testers" to rent apartments, hunt for houses and apply for mortgages. The same-sex couples identified themselves to landlords, real estate agents and lenders as "life partners" and the opposite-sex couples as husband and wife.