Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., suggested homeowners should be allowed to deny selling their property if they don’t approve of a potential buyer’s lifestyle.
Rohrbacher made the comments during a meeting last week with realtors, where he said “it should be every homeowner’s right to decline to sell a home if they don’t agree with” a potential buy’s lifestyle, Wayne Woodyard, a regional vice president for Berkshire Hathaway, told BuzzFeed News.
According to Woodyard, Rohrbacher’s statements were prompted by a question about a proposed federal law that would outlaw housing discrimination due to sexual orientation and gender identity.
Rohrabacher echoed similar sentiments when he was pressed on the issue by the Orange County Register, saying “a person who owns their own home, they have a right to choose who they do business with.”
“We’ve drawn a line on racism,” he added. “But I don’t think we should extend that line.”
Rohrabacher, who is up for re-election this year, has faced criticism for the remarks and subsequently lost the endorsement of the National Association of Realtors.
