Tue 2 Dec 2008
Let the Realtor procott begin
Posted by Marlow Harris under Politics, Real Estate
[6] Comments
Equal Rights Washington, a statewide political advocacy organization works to end discrimination against LGBT people throughout Washington State.
They recently sent out a letter urging people to “procott” companies who support LGBT rights. Not boycott those who don’t, but “procott” and support those who do.
From a recent email from Josh Friedes, Advocacy Director of Equal Rights Washington:
And after the Realtors PAC spent so much money trying to elect anti-equality candidate Dino Rossi, doesn’t it make sense to make sure you’re picking a real estate agent that supports LGBT civil rights?
Unfortunately, they are correct. Our local Seattle King County Association of Realtors DID support Republican and anti-equality candidate Dino Rossi, though I suspect it was more for his close ties to the building and commercial real estate industry than for anything else. He did actually hold a real estate license for a number of years, and I found this on Wikipedia:
In 1983, Rossi joined Capretto & Clark, a Seattle real estate firm, as a salesman. The firm filed for bankruptcy the following year and, in 1985, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer published a story on the federal corruption investigation into Capretto & Clark’s general manager, Melvin Heide. While many in the sales force left the firm, Rossi stayed behind and eventually followed Heide to Metropolitan Real Estate and, a month later, to Imperial Real Estate in downtown Seattle. Rossi said he had been unaware of the circumstances behind the collapse of Capretto & Clark, saying that he “didn’t take the paper.” He resigned from Imperial Real Estate in 1992.
Luckily he lost, and incumbant Christine Gregoire has another 4 years in office.
Though I am not a member of GSBA, I am a contributor to Equal Rights Washington. I was inspired and galvanized by the recent elections, but very disappointed about the outcome of Proposition 8 in California, so I attended a rally and march here in Seattle at Volunteer Park. I put together some photos and film clips with my trusty Flip and made this video:
Mayor Greg Nickles was there and made a proclamation, but King County Executive Ron Sims stole the show. Passionate and inspired, he galvanized the crowd with his rousing rhetoric, and he actually gets that LGBT rights are CIVIL rights. I’m working on his next campaign,what ever that will be.
From cars, to gas, and from banking to grocery stores this guide has it all:
Buying for Equality Buying Guide
For Seattle goods and services:
GSBA Buying Guide
Thank you for this. I rarely let my politics show (or my religion) because I am happy to work with buyers and sellers of all political stripes.
However, when it comes to civil rights, I think it is important for us all to stand up and be counted. Hatred and bigotry have no place in this great country of ours.
It is kind of scary going out on a limb, but then I figure I wouldn’t want to work with bigots anyway, so who cares?
I thought it was pretty interesting that in the NAR Pledge, in Article 10, it does not have sexual orientation listed.
“Article 10-
REALTORS® give equal professional service to all clients and customers irrespective of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin.”
Thank you for pointing that out. I think it’s worth a phone call to my local chapter.
The realtors PAC has crossed the line in my opinion. Their mailings in support of candidates who oppose basic civil rights for Washington’s gay families suggest that the candidates are good for neighborhoods and families. If the realtors PAC wants to support a candidate because of their position on zoning laws or other such matters they should say that. But the Realtor’s PAC should not mislead the public by suggesting that a candidate who would deny Washington families basic civil rights is good for families or neighborhoods.
While realtors can treat their clients with equal respect, the law does not allow clients in same-sex relationships to be treated equally. It’s harder for gay and lesbian couples to qualify for mortgages–because they are not married–and often they have to get duplicate insurance, and the list of things that make it harder for same sex couples to buy homes goes on and on.
I would think that realtors would have a vested interest–and value–in making sure that people who can afford homes and want to be homeowners are not excluded because of discrimination. This made Gregoire the better candidate on this issue.
I hope realtors will challenge both who the PAC supports and the tactics it uses. I hope clients will seek out realtors who can demonstrate a commitment to civil rights for all Washington families. This is not a matter of politics or religion, but a matter of basic human rights.
Josh, I could not agree with you more. I am committed to making these issues known and will work to get this information out to our members. I’m sure it’s just ignorance rather than malice, but I will make inquiries and write about my efforts here.