Roommate ad criticised for banning straight people from applying
‘Room for rent – but only if you’re LGBTQIA+. And vegan. Or vegetarian. And you HAVE to like fat people, too.’
We’ve all been there – sharing a house with a bunch of people we hardly know, trying to rub along as well as we can and keep our cool – even if those around us don’t share the same views.
Or pay bills on time. Make lots of noise in the middle of the night, even though we have to be up at six am. Use our dishes and don’t even wash them. They even stole our cheese…
To avoid any of the above problems, a group of “queer, transgender, vegetarian” housemates looking for a new roomie decided to make their online search pretty specific.
The group were looking for a new addition to share their four-bedroom home in Wellington, New Zealand – but they soon drew criticism for listing the room’s availability with one major rule: “no heterosexuals.”
The housemates described themselves as “feminist/politically switched on adults” who refused to live with anyone who is “racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, fatphobic,” or “hates sex workers, hates migrants or is otherwise a jerk.”
“We don’t want to live with a couple, a heterosexual person, or someone who is loud at night, or drinks/does drugs/party[s] a lot,” it adds.
“We want to live with someone who is relaxed, motivated, grown up, reliable, considerate, child friendly, LGBTQIA+ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex or asexual], pays the board on time with no stress, [is] vegetarian or vegan.”
Reddit users were quick to slate the ad, accusing the “accepting housemate” of hypocrisy for discriminating against straight people or those who hold alternative views.
However, the housemates were quick to respond, saying they have every right to choose who they live with – and to protect themselves for further bigotry.
“We live in a society in which transgender people face high levels of housing discrimination,” the update read.
“Heterosexual cisgender people do not need anti-discrimination legislation to protect their rights, because their rights are already respected.
“You are not being discriminated against by us, we just don’t want to live with you,” it adds.
“Sorry your feelings are hurt, but we don’t really care, we’re busy surviving in a society which is hostile to our existence.”
