🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Aug19.155211.14984@beaver.cs.washington.edu> kolding@cs.washington.edu (Eric Koldinger) writes:
>In article <1992Aug19.034101.17124@ssc.wa.com> tad@ssc.wa.com (Tad Cook) writes:
>>In article <1992Aug18.203053.13895@u.washington.edu> jhli@carson.u.washington.edu (Jianghong Li) writes:
>>>A female graduate student or a post-doctoral fellow, or a visiting
>>>scholar is wanted to a spacious two-bedroom apartment in Ballard. 
>
>>Sorry, but gender discrimination in housing is illegal in the 
>>city of Seattle.
>
>Sorry, but in this case it's not.  If you are looking for a roommate, you can
>be as specific as you like (ads for vegetarian, Nepalese, Jewish quadroplegics
>are legal, for instance, although you might be hard pressed to actually find a
>roommate).  If you are renting a vacant house or apartment, then
>discrimination of all kinds is illegal.  

Eric is essentially correct, but not exactly.  I believe it is illegal to
discriminate on the basis of race or ethnic origin, even when looking for a
roommate, so one couldn't legally specify 'Nepalese'.  For a (slightly) more 
realistic example, Brigitte Fonda would not legally be able to advertise for a
'Single White Female' roommate in the state of Washington, although she
could advertise for a `Single Female' (but that, I suppose, doesn't trip so
trippingly off the tongue).

To get horribly exact about it, the following is information I got by
visiting the Student Housing Office at the UW: 

"It is against the law to discriminate in the City of Seattle and in
unincoporated King County based on:
	Race, Color, Religion, National origin, Sex, Age, Handicap, Marital
	Status, Parental Status, Sexual Orientation, Ancestry*, Political
	Ideology*

*Covered by Seattle Ordinance only."

	--- "Did someone say you couldn't live there?", pamphlet published
		by Seattle Human Rights Department and King County 
		Affirmative Action Program

When looking for a roommate, however, you can be more picky.  I found the
following in December 1989 (unfortunately, I couldn't find it when I
returned today, but I doubt that means the ruling was reversed.)

"Shared Housing Discrimination Policy

The Attorney General of the State of Washington has declared that `it is
not contrary to the Washington State law against discrimination for a
person to discriminate on the basis of sex, age, or religion in selecting a
roomate [sic] with whom to share living quarters, or for a person to
specify in an advertisement for a roomate that this roomate must be of a
particular sex, age or religion.'  However, shared housing listings which
contain a preference for a specific race is [sic] discriminatory and will
not be accepted by the Student Housing Affairs Office.

AGO 1976 No. 17, Washington State Human Rights Commision Declatory Ruling
#18, 41 Wn. App 283, 704 P 2d 632 (1985)."

			Greg Barnes
			greg@cs.washington.edu