Denouncing Hate and Bias in LGBTQ Real Estate

To:          LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance members, partners and friends
From:    Ryan Weyandt, CEO, LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance
Re:         Hate mail
Date:     March 3, 2021

Two of our LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance members Shawn Layton and Jimmy Hendrickson have a successful Central Florida team with Keller Williams at the Parks in Orlando.

On Wednesday, they received an extremely offensive letter from a woman named Barbara that they do not know. The letter reads:

Dear Home Town Boys,

Why in God’s name are you promoting a public display of your homosexuality? It is SO wrong on so many levels. How can you expect a “normal” person to respect your lifestyle? I know what you do to each other and it is sick. And you expect a normal person to accept it? Not in a million years.

Your parents must be so ashamed of you! You are both disgusting.

A few years ago I purchased a home through Keller Williams. I will without a doubt let my respectable friends know that KW promotes this disgusting lifestyle.

Gagging,

Barbara

She did not sign her last name nor provide a return address.

With Shawn and Jimmy’s permission we are sharing the contents of the letter with you, the membership of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance, along with the leadership at Keller Williams, the National Association of REALTORS®, the Florida Association of REALTORS and the Orlando Association of REALTORS.

As you know, members of the LGBTQ+ community continue to face discrimination. This is just another example. We strongly condemn hatred and want Shawn and Jimmy to know that the entirety of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance stands with them in unity.

The founding values of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance are “Community, Collaboration, Equality & Equity, Inclusion, Transparency and Pride.” We hope you will join us in supporting our friends Shawn and Jimmy by denouncing hate and bias.