Federal judge rules fair housing law protects Colorado LGBT couple

DENVER — A U.S. district judge ruled Wednesday that a Colorado landlord’s refusal to rent a townhouse to a lesbian couple, one of whom is transgender, violates federal housing law, marking the second legal victory for LGBT people in as many days.

The ruling by Denver federal Judge Raymond Moore is the first in which a court has extended protections to people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity under the federal Fair Housing Act, lawyers for the couple said. The act bans housing discrimination because of race, religion and sex, among other ­factors.

The decision followed the Chicago-based U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit ruling Tuesday that the 1964 federal Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees in the workplace.

The Colorado case stems from a 2016 lawsuit against property owner Deepika Avanti by Rachel and Tonya Smith, a same-sex married couple who sought to rent a house in a small town about 20 miles northwest of Denver.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/federal-judge-rules-fair-housing-law-protects-colorado-lgbt-couple/2017/04/05/d88a0948-1a61-11e7-855e-4824bbb5d748_story.html?utm_term=.90787e0839fe