Wording Fair Housing vs. Protected Class

Everyone has their "I Do Not Like That" list. One of mine is for whatever reason when the wording of "protected class" became more and more to the forefront over "fair housing" it started to get under my skin a little. Now I know there are those that will say, hey do not let that bother you because the protected classes under the fair housing law are...............

OK, there are those that will say do not get hung up on semantics and maybe it is just me. I will give you one line on my thinking in that "protected class" to me is like a "protected species". I want what is fair, what is equal, I do not need to be protected. It could be just the generation I am from that this is coming out.

I was once asked if I knew what the protected classes were in housing and my programing did not compute that word and I said no, but had I been asked did I know the fair housing laws both federal and state, then I could have ran down the list.

To some I am sure this will seem petty stuff and that I need to get over it and sure I got it when protective classes are used now rather than saying the "Fair Housing Laws"

So, this is my little rant starting off the New Year! I am interested in your thoughts. Now like I said this is not something that stops me in my tracks, but just do not like the term. Does anyone know when and where the protective class first came into language in the Fair Housing Laws?

Hearing from other professionals and their opinions matters as I may be the Lone Ranger in my thinking and need to get with the times!

I had never thought about "protected class" being an insulting term... But I don't know if anything else would be any better. Just by asking what group is covered under Fair Housing has the same implication, although without the word "protected"...

You seem to indicate that "protected class" and "Fair Housing" are interchangeable, but I don't think they are because they are different things.

To me, Fair Housing refers to the Fair Housing Act, which is a set of laws that prohibit the discrimination of housing. Protected Class is a term used in these laws to describe the characteristics of a person for whom the law is intended to protect.

Do you agree? Or do have a different understanding?

While the term "protected class" does not actually appear in any version of the Fair Housing Act, "class of persons" is used in reference to their protections under law. The concept of a protected class or protected group is the basis for the FHA, so I don't think it's something new as it would have been understood from the beginning (in 1968). HUD seems to acknowledge protected classes at least by 1988 when the FHA was amended the first time.

How would you prefer to describe the different groups of people protected under law? The FHA uses the phrase "aggrieved person," but I think you'd probably dislike that even more.

Hey David,

I get on a rant sometimes and it is me saying what I found as wording which I did not like. There are many who will talk about the protective classes when talking about the Fair Housing Act and it just bothered me. Like I said it it me and I threw it out there because I wanted to get feedback from others in the profession as to what they thought.

You see there are things which one class of people may not take harm in and another may. In my travels around the world I learned real quick that what may be fine in one culture is not in another. Even in our own country of America we have grown over the years and have made changes for whatever reason and some are for the good and others not so.

There is a link on the Fair Housing Act: www.justice.gov/crt/about/hce/title8.php and I do believe it is talking about the same people as others refer to as the protected classes.

Understand I am not perfect and there are times when I just do a sanity check to see if others are seeing the same thing or it is just me. Also, do not get me wrong I am not in this state where I want to burn someone at the cross because I do not like this or that. We all have different views and I am trying to invite those as that is how we grow.

Thank you David and Brent for taking the time to share your thoughts. It is much appreciated! It also causes me to research more at times and become I hope wiser.

Hey Nate!

I completely understand what you're saying. I was actually just having a similar conversation with my mother. I took her to see Odysseo in Atlanta. It's a live show similar to Cirque du Soleil, except involving horses and produced by a Canadian company named Cavalia.

One of the acts has a group of tribal men dancing, doing back flips, and playing bongos. They are all black men without shirts and wearing tattered shorts. Then a group of white men comes out. They're wearing more clothes and aren't dancing as though they are in a tribe. To me, it seemed racist and according to the reviews on their Yelp listing other people (both black and white) had that impression. I doubt there was any racism intended and to a Canadian it probably seemed like a non-issue.

I agree with you. It's all about people's culture and the context.

Thanks for the feedback David. My mind is always spinning and I remember my Junior high science teacher once told me Nate when you are an adult I am sure you are going to drive some people crazy with all your questions, but in life as in science it is good to ask many questions so you get a better understanding. So, it is with me and housing and cultures and generations. I used to have cultural events when I had a community put on by that culture. We tried to give assistance where ever we could and it was a big success in the community as it exposed our tenants to the diversity in our community and it opened up communications. The best was the children as they were so open and asked great questions. To assist our residents I went to local clubs which really made the events worth it for all.

Many tenants/peoples eyes are opened up when they are able to really learn more about other cultures and where and the why of it all.

As an example I have General Lee hanging over my fireplace and there are people that ask me why him? Most were of the mind simply because of the uniform he was wearing. I picked him because he was a man that was loyal to his state. He was going to go with whichever way Virginia went. He was a man of honor on many levels and I respected that.