Rhode Island General Laws 34-37-5.2. Discrimination in brokerage services
It shall be unlawful to deny any person who meets licensing and other non-discriminatory requirements that are also applied to other applicants and members access to, or membership or participation in, any real estate listing service, real estate brokers’ organization, or other service, organization, or facility relating to the business of selling, leasing, or renting a housing accommodation or to discriminate against him or her in the terms or conditions of the access, membership, or participation on account of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, military status as a veteran with an honorable discharge or an honorable or general administrative discharge, servicemember in the armed forces, country of ancestral origin, disability, age, or familial status.
History of Section.
P.L. 1990, ch. 398, § 2; P.L. 1995, ch. 32, § 2; P.L. 1997, ch. 150, § 8; P.L. 2001, ch. 340, § 2; P.L. 2015, ch. 161, § 1; P.L. 2015, ch. 180, § 1.
Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 34-37-5.2
- Age: means anyone over the age of eighteen (18). See Rhode Island General Laws 34-37-3
- Armed forces: means the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines, or Air Force of the United States and the Rhode Island National Guard. See Rhode Island General Laws 34-37-3
- Disability: means a disability as defined in § 42-87-1. See Rhode Island General Laws 34-37-3
- Discriminate: includes segregate, separate, or otherwise differentiate between or among individuals because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, lawful source of income, military status as a veteran with an honorable discharge or an honorable or general administrative discharge, servicemember in the armed forces, country of ancestral origin, disability, age, housing status, or familial status or because of the race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, lawful source of income, military status as a veteran with an honorable discharge or an honorable or general administrative discharge, servicemember in the armed forces, country of ancestral origin, disability, age, housing status, or familial status of any person with whom they are, or may wish to be, associated. See Rhode Island General Laws 34-37-3
- Familial status: means one or more individuals who have not attained the age of eighteen (18) years being domiciled with:
(A) A parent or another person having legal custody of the individual or individuals; or
(B) The designee of the parent or other person having the custody, with the written permission of the parent or other person, provided that, if the individual is not a relative or legal dependent of the designee, that the individual shall have been domiciled with the designee for at least six (6) months. See Rhode Island General Laws 34-37-3
- gender identity or expression: includes a person's actual or perceived gender, as well as a person's gender identity, gender-related self image, gender-related appearance, or gender-related expression; whether or not that gender identity, gender-related self image, gender-related appearance, or gender-related expression is different from that traditionally associated with the person's sex at birth. See Rhode Island General Laws 34-37-3
- Housing accommodation: includes any building or structure, or portion of any building or structure, or any parcel of land, developed or undeveloped, that is occupied or is intended, designed, or arranged to be occupied, or to be developed for occupancy, as the home or residence of one or more persons. See Rhode Island General Laws 34-37-3
- Person: includes one or more individuals, partnerships, associations, organizations, corporations, labor organizations, mutual companies, joint stock companies, trusts, receivers, legal representatives, trustees, other fiduciaries, or real estate brokers or real estate salespersons as defined in Rhode Island General Laws 34-37-3
- real estate: may be construed to include lands, tenements, and hereditaments and rights thereto and interests therein. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-10
- sexual orientation: means having, or being perceived as having, an orientation for heterosexuality, bisexuality, or homosexuality. See Rhode Island General Laws 34-37-3