REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
for the 2024 LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance Housing Policy Symposium Graciously hosted by our friends at the
The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance Housing Symposium brings together real estate and housing industry professionals from across North America to discuss and learn about policy items currently impacting the LGBTQ+ community and the industry. Experts from the Federal Government, State, and local levels are traditionally invited and represented, as are other influential authorities like the National Association of Realtors, Human Rights Campaign, Victory Fund, and many more. This symposium not only acts as a conduit to inform, but also to share ideas, thought leadership, and learn from each other.
Stay With Us!
While you’re in town, you’ll want to be centrally located for the event, and after hours! The Courtyard Marriott Dupont Circle has extended us a generous room rate and limited block to ensure our attendees have a home away from home.
The block is limited, and WILL sell out!
Reserve your room today! Courtyard Marriott is located at 1733 N St NW, Washington, DC 20036
Watch Highlights from the 2023 LGBTQ+ Housing Policy Symposium!
Guest of Distinction
Congressional Guest TBA
MARION MOLLEGEN MCFADDEN - HUD
PRINCIPAL DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
Congressman Brad Schneider
U.S. representative for Illinois's 10th congressional district since 2017 and from 2013 to 2015.
Jordan Dashow
(Thursday @ Capitol Hill)
Executive Director
U.S. House of Representatives Equality Caucus
Agenda
We’re excited to announce that for the first time The Alliance will be inviting Symposium attendees to spend May 9th with us at the United States Capitol for pre-arranged policy meetings with their elected Congresspeople and Senators. A reception hosted on Capitol Hill with Alliance members and members of the Congressional Equality Caucus will be held inside the Capitol for those on-site for Hill visits. Our Welcome Reception will be that evening, graciously hosted by our friends at the National Association of Realtors at their DC Headquarter’s Rooftop. May 10th provides a full-day of learning, idea exchange, speaking, and panel sessions, followed by an optional evening networking reception. Attendees are encouraged to fly in on the 8th if not already in town for NAR Mid-Year. Attendees are also strongly encouraged to stay just two blocks from NEA HQ at our host hotel, Courtyard by Marriott Washington, DC Dupont Circle.
Member Day on the HIll – May 9
Congressional Luncheon Keynote Speakers
Closing Reception
Thursday, May 9 - 8:00AM - 8:00p ET
Friday, May 10 - 8:00AM - 5:00p ET
Ryan Weyandt – Alliance CEO
Anita Legacy Blue – Alliance National President
Director Colleen Green – Department of Housing and Community Development
The fallout from the Sitzer-Burnett trial has far reaching consequences, particularly in light of NAR’s settlement concessions. What does this mean for agents? How will buyers fair in an equation with the deck stacked against them? Longtime industry veteran Jack Miller will weigh in with his observations.
Jack Miller – T3 Sixty
Federal, state and local laws offer limited protections against anti-LGBTQ discrimination in housing and lending. According to the Williams Institute, LGBTQ people face harassment and discrimination from housing providers. Our homeownership rate is 20 points below the national average and even greater among LGBTQ people of color. With housing market forces challenging all new homebuyers, are there any solutions that can help close the gap?
Ryan Weyandt – Moderator
Elana Redfield -Williams Institute
Josh Dubensky – SAGE
Lynn Grosso – HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
Olivia Hunt – NCTE
Nate Johnson – NAR
Janette Waller
Odeta Kushi
The Unintended Consequences of the Sitzer-Burnett Commission Lawsuit Settlement and its Impact on Minority Homebuyers
The Sitzer-Burnett Commission lawsuit judgment will mean major shifts in how buyers and sellers pay their agents and just how much those fees cost moving forward. For minority buyers, in particular, the ruling may potentially create another barrier to entry for buyers who are already challenged by the downpayment and closing costs. This panel discussion brings together lenders and realtors for perspectives on whether these impacts can be avoided or minimized.
Dave Gervase – Moderator
Becky Tallent – Anywhere Realty
Kay Marshall – Truist
Patrick Lynch – eXp Realty
| 12:15p | Congressional Keynote | Housing Policy and the accomplishments for the Queer community | HUD Dep Sec. McFadden |
| 12:35p | Congressional Keynote #2 | HR 4439 and the fight for equity | Congressman Schneider (D-IL) |
The homeownership rate among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people is significantly lower than those who identify as straight and cisgender. In this session we will highlight some of the trends from recent research by the Urban Institute’s Housing Finance Policy Center and also the implications for policymakers.
Todd Hill – Senior Policy Program Manager, Urban Institute
Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen – Executive Director, National Center for Transgender Equality/NCTE Action Fund
The socio-political climate in America is arguably as polarized or worse than any other time in modern history. With politicians now weaponizing civil rights entitlements and civil liberties for entire minority communities, Washington faces continued gridlock in actually achieving outcomes in Congress. Each party is grappling for majority control. Though frustrating, hope should not be lost for American minority communities. Real opportunities for needed reforms exist even today, and are influenced and controlled by administrative processes within regulatory bodies and influence from private organizations. Join leading industry analyst and former CFPB and Rocket executive, Chrissi Johnson, as she reveals how much can get done with bypassing Congress completely.
Chrissi Johnson – Moderator
Dave Uejio – FHFA
Todd Hill – Urban Institute
Hilary Halpern – Rocket Companies
Brittany Webb – National Housing Conference
President Biden’s Executive Order 14075 set a roadmap for better SOGI data. The White House published an “Evidence Agenda” for LGBTQI+ Equity, a set of SOGI guidelines, and required federal agencies to develop SOGI data collection plans. We’ll discuss the impact of these actions.
Elana Redfield
David Siroty will present findings from the 2024 LGBTQ+ Housing Report.
Panel: SAGE and the Movement Advancement Project reported that by 2030, there would be 7 million 50-plus LGBTQ+ people living in the U.S. This group is obviously impacted by the onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment seen across the nation. At the same time, the National Alliance to End Homelessness shared that 48% of older same-sex couples applying for senior housing were subjected to discrimination.This session will address these and other critically important concerns LGBTQ+ people face as they age.
Gabrielle Claiborne – Moderator, Alliance National Director & CEO of Transformational Journey’s Worldwide
John-Paul Hayworth – LGBTQ+ Audience Strategy Director, AARP
Josh Dubensky – Housing Policy Advocate Associate, SAGE
As housing prices continue to rise and entry-level inventory remains at historically low levels, lending solutions that fit unique borrower needs are critical to help the underserved market achieve the dream of homeownership.
Monica La Crue – Moderator
Marta Tataje – Truist
Paul Kiefer -BAC
Sodi Nichols – US Bank
Closing remarks from Alliance CEO Ryan Weyandt and Alliance National President Anita Legacy Blue
