As the nation marks the 45th anniversary of the passage of the Fair Housing Act, the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) calls for that venerable law to be modernized. The current set of protected classes under the Fair Housing Act are limited to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, and family status. In Modernizing the Fair Housing Act for the 21st Century: Fair Housing Trends Report for 2013, NFHA asserts that Fair Housing Act protections must now also prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, source of income, and marital status. According to NFHA, “For some time, state and local governments have been at the forefront of protecting additional populations that are vulnerable to housing discrimination. It is time for our federal legislators to commit to doing the same.” Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people often encounter upfront hostility from landlords, real estate agents, and lenders when looking for housing. Housing discrimination is especially harsh for transgender people who are often forced into homelessness due to outright discrimination. The report cites a 2011 survey of 6,450 transgender people conducted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality, which found that 19% were denied a home or apartment, 19% experienced homelessness, and 11% had been evicted. Of those who attempted to access homeless shelters, nearly one third were turned away. Each year NFHA collects data from both nonprofit fair housing organizations and government entities. In 2012 there were 28,519 complaints of housing discrimination, compared to 27,092 the previous year. Sixty-nine percent of the discrimination complaints were investigated by private organizations. Complaint data reflect only reported incidents of housing discrimination; NFHA conservatively estimates that there are four million violations every year. Many people do not report housing discrimination because they do not know where to go, they believe nothing will be done, or they fear retaliation. Disability complaints remain the greatest percentage of all complaints for the past several years. Many apartment owners make direct comments refusing to make a “reasonable accommodation,” such as paying to create a handicapped parking spot with a curb cut for someone with a wheel chair. Many owners also refuse to make a “reasonable modification” paid for by a resident, such as making a structural change inside an apartment that can be reversed when the tenant leaves.Click here to access Modernizing the Fair Housing Act for the 21st Century: 2013 Fair Housing Trends Report (PDF).