More than half of LGBTIQ+ roommates face discrimination for their identity, finds study

People who belong to the LGBTIQ+ community say shared housing is fraught with difficulties that go well beyond learning new routines and sharing space with strangers.

Our new research on the shared housing experiences of the LGBTIQ+ community found many experienced discrimination—with some opting to sleep rough rather than remain living with discriminatory roommates.

Our survey results highlight the ongoing challenges faced by this community, and the choices they face when it comes to their living arrangements.

Shared spaces

It is difficult to say exactly how many New Zealanders are in a shared housing situation. But data from the 2023 Census indicates 17.2% of households (293,244) include some sort of non-family sharing arrangement.

Shared housing adds an extra layer of instability to New Zealand’s already mobile housing culture, where the median tenancy is 25 months. Many people in shared housing situations are not named on tenancy agreements and are vulnerable to being asked to leave by fellow roommates.

Of the 900 LGBTIQ+ people over the age of 16 we surveyed, 33% (298) lived in a shared housing situation.

Those who were in shared housing were significantly more likely to be younger and to be non-binary or identify with a gender other than male or female (34.6%), compared to those who were not in shared housing (24.8%).

The roommates in our survey had lower incomes than non-roommates, with a higher proportion of incomes under NZ$20,000 annually (33.9% compared to 16.8% of non-roommates). They also had a lower proportion of incomes over NZD$100,000 annually (2.3% compared to 14.4% of non-roommates).

People who responded to our survey also reported high levels of homelessness, with 37.47% saying they had experienced it during their lifetime.

Unsafe at home

More than half (52%) of the shared housers in our survey said they had experienced some kind of discrimination in their living situation, with 23.8% saying it came directly from their roommates.

As one of our research participants said, “I moved once, in large part because a roommate expressed homophobic views when I was not out. They said they wouldn’t be comfortable with a gay couple moving in.”

Another explained, “I’ve had homosexual roommates tell me they ‘know my secret’ and tell me angrily that I’ve been ‘lying to them the whole time’ just because I didn’t tell them I was trans.”

But discrimination didn’t just come from roommates. Survey respondents expressed concern about visitors to their homes.

As one said, “An old roommate’s girlfriend was visibly uncomfortable interacting with me, and my roommate used to tell me about the awful things that her family would say about trans people. I used to hate it when she came over.”

A different participant said, “My roommate’s boyfriend often made questionable comments about queer people in front of me and she did nothing to stop it, and often would tell me things that he said, like I would think it was funny or wouldn’t be hurt.”

The threat of homelessness loomed over the LGBTIQ+ people who were shared housing. Over half the roommates in our survey said they moved due to difficult relationships with roommates.

But moving was not always a choice. Some of our survey participants said they were asked to leave because of their gender identity or sexual preference.

One said coming out caused a rift in the apartment: “I was kicked out of a house when coming out as trans to my roommates and asking they use my preferred name and pronouns.”

Tenancy protections needed

Our research highlights just how vulnerable the LGBTIQ+ community continues to be in almost every aspect of their lives.

But roommates, in general, have few protections. If a roommate is not included in a tenancy agreement, they are not protected by the Residential Tenancy Act and have very limited legal protections.

Improved rental laws could make it easier for tenants to change leases, allowing roommates to leave unsafe situations. Improvements could also make it easier to be included on leases so everyone living at a property is afforded the same protections under the Residential Tenancy Act.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.