"Because they already fought the fight once —they don’t want to have to do it again. "
Tiffani Mayes had a problem. His landlord was selling the home he rented, and he needed to find a new, affordable place to live.
But when he went to view places in his price range, he’d watch as the owners’ faces changed.
“As soon as they see me, they change their minds,” Mayes said.
Pet bans emerged on listings that had been “animal-friendly” online — Mayes’s cocker spaniel Piper, his sole roommate and closest companion, was suddenly unacceptable.
“I look very gay,” he said. “I could tell they just didn’t want me in the place.”
Mayes eventually found an apartment in the Seminole Heights neighborhood in Tampa, but at “a young 72,” he knows he won’t be able to live by himself forever.
The post-pandemic housing market is becoming increasingly competitive in Tampa Bay, where demand is high and supply is scarce.
Seniors who are part of the LGBTQ community face added challenges — they must search for a place that is both in their budget and affirming of their identity.
Read more at the Tampa Bay Times