Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Building diversity

[Patricia_A . _Needham (Patricia_A._Needham]

On 3/3, Rob Sandelin wrote: 

>I did once get an earful from a woman who was a lesbian, who had a place in 
>the line of a group, and who got bumped because the group said, we want 
>someone with kids........She took it as discrimination. She called me as to 
>advice about her "rights" and  I was able to talk her out of a lawsuit, 
>although she may never have followed through with that anyway.

On 3.13, paul asked:

 2) In the situation Rob relates above, our understanding of the law is

that the action that was taken is illegal.  Is this everyone else's 
understanding?  And if not, what exactly can a cohousing group do within 
the bounds of the law to build diversity?

pbchen [at] mindspring.com 
**************************

Federal civil rights laws do not prohibit all forms of discrimination; only
discrimination against specific protected classes.  Sexual orientation is
not a protected class in federal law; neither is familial status.  This
varies from state to state under each state's civil rights laws.


patricia_a._needham [at] hud.gov