Lesbian couple confronted by Christian landlord during troubling apartment viewing

A lesbian couple have been left “shocked, fearful and anxious” after being told to “get out” during an apartment viewing by a Christian landlord in Ontario, Canada.

Tatiana Dias and her partner Katie are now warning others of the discrimination same-sex couples can face while renting.

The landlord, who described herself as a devout Christian, repeatedly told the lesbian couple to leave the viewing of a basement apartment in Bradford on 29 January simply because they were in a loving relationship.

The landlord denies Tatiana’s version of events, saying it’s “their words against my words”.

Tatiana, who arranged the viewing, told the landlord she would be attending with her apartment. She told PinkNews she expected the woman to see from her social media accounts that her spouse is a woman.

“We walked in and approached her and she looked at us and said ‘hi’, but seemed confused,” Tatiana explained. 

“She asked, ‘What’s your relation?’ And said, ‘I don’t understand.’” 

Tatiana says the woman then asked if they were sisters, to which she responded: “No, we’re a couple. 

“You could see her expression changed and she didn’t say anything at that point.” 

The landlord insists this is “not true”.

“I did not drive, neither told them to get out or leave the house because they are same-sex lesbian couple,” she tells PinkNews.

“It’s their words against my words. I even took my time to accommodate them that day.”

‘I thought you were a straight couple’

Before being shown around the entire property, Tatiana said the owner turned to look at them and said: “I don’t think this is going to work.”

According to the 26-year-old, the woman added: “I’m a very devout Christian and when you told me you were a couple I thought you were a straight couple.” 

She then repeatedly told the pair “you need to get out”, while following them “literally on our heels”, Tatiana shared. 

Katie, who is also a Christian, described the upsetting experience as “really backward and like a punch in the guts”.

“It’s an unfortunate reminder of the discrimination present and was disheartening but also scary,” she said. 

“There was a lot of fear and anxiety about disclosing our relationship while continuing to look for new places.”

Tatiana said the “aftermath of fear” is what led her to share the incident on Twitter, in a post that has since received more than two million views, and accrued messages from other people who had faced similar discrimination. 

Under the Ontario Human Rights code, everyone has the right to equal treatment in housing without discrimination or harassment. 

This means people cannot be refused an apartment due to their race, religious belief, marital status or sexual orientation, to name a few of the code-protected grounds.

Tatiana contacted the landlord on Facebook to inform her that it’s against the law not to rent to people due to their sexual orientation, and she was then blocked.

She wants the landlord to know that “her actions have consequences” and recommends LGBTQ+ people look to rent a property look from queer-led community pages and realtors. 

Tatiana said: “The housing crisis is bad enough, but what happens when you go and look for affordable places, and you find 10, but eight of them kick you out and choose not to rent to you because you’re a different race or in a lesbian relationship.” 

A survey published last year shows that marginalised groups, including LGBTQ+ in Ontario, face disproportionate discrimination when seeking housing. 

Two in 10 tenants say they’ve been treated unfairly because of their identity, with LGBTQ+ and people of colour more likely to report such treatment, the research shows.