Elderly lesbian married couple denied housing because they are gay
A lesbian couple in Missouri have been denied housing at a senior living community because of their sexual orientation, reports Newsweek. The couple are now suing the community for discrimination.
In 2016, wives Mary Walsh, 72, and Bev Nance, 68, put down a $2000 deposit to secure a place at the Friendship Village of Sunset Hills only to be refused because of a “cohabitation policy” that restricted the definition of marriage as “the union of one man and one woman, as marriage is understood in the Bible.”
“Mary and Bev were denied housing for one reason and one reason only—because they were married to each other rather than to men,” says Julie Wilensky from the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), who is representing them in their lawsuit. “This is exactly the type of sex discrimination the Fair Housing Act prohibits. Their story demonstrates the kind of exclusion and discrimination still facing same-sex couples of all ages.”
“We want to grow older here by each other’s side,” said Walsh in a statement. “We should not be prevented from accessing the housing and care we need.”
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