Notable LGBTQ Individuals in Real Estate and Property Markets
There are various opportunities open for individuals to be involved in real estate and property markets. At its basic and most common level, many people own homes or other forms of real estate as personal investments.
There is a large community of LGBTQ real estate agents. Several LGBTQ-focused interest groups have followed to support these professionals. Most prominent among these are the National Association of Gay & Lesbian Real Estate Professionals (NAGLREP), the Gay & Lesbian Organization of Real Estate (GALORE), and the Gay Real Estate Group (GREG).
The entertainment industry has embraced real estate as a niche product market. Shows such as Million Dollar Listing (featuring gay realtors Fredrik Eklund of New York, and Josh Flagg and Madison Hildebrand of Los Angeles) are huge hits for the networks.
Several prominent real estate developers and investors have a significant presence in cities and countries around the world. These include Great Britain's Brian Bickell (CEO of Shaftesbury PLC), and New York-based Adam Rose (of Rose Associates) or Ian Reisner (of Parkview Developments). As well, LGBTQ individuals are present in the property insurance market place and real estate law practices. Transgender Antonia Belcher is active in pursuing equality for LGBTQ participants in the construction industry.
Discrimination toward LGBTQ home buyers and renters remains a pervasive issue around the world, both in terms of home sales and financing origination. The Queer Land Trust of the U.S. is an example of a national organization created to acquire and preserve queer spaces for all genders and sexualities, and to fight discrimination, especially for LGBTQ youth, elders, artists, and activists. There are national protections against discrimination in a few countries, but even those that exist are difficult to enforce. Research shows that LGBTQ home ownership rates (49%) lag behind the general population (64%) in the United States because 46% of the community fears discrimination in the home buying process.
We have identified the following notable LGBTQ individuals who are prominent in the real estate and property market professions.
Australia
China
Canada
Great Britain
- Antonia Belcher
- Brian Bickell
- Saleem Fazal
- Geoff Godwin
- Robert Hudson
- Deian Rhys
- Linda Riley
- Louis Stedman-Bryce
- Robert Wyndham Ketton-Cremer
- Misa von Tunzelman
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sweden
United States
- Terry Bean
- Michael Belkin
- James Brewster
- Robby Browne
- Chris Cheng
- Christopher Constant
- Josh Flagg
- Ariel Foxman
- William J. Gilbane III
- Javier Gonzalez
- Mel Heifetz
- Madison Hildebrand
- Kimberly Hoover
- Rodney Jones-Tyson
- Don Lemon
- Fritz Lohman
- Elaine Noble
- Loren Ostrow
- Jennifer Pritzker
- Ian Reisner
- Adam Rose
- Bob Satawake
- James T. Sears
- Troy Michael Smith
- Adrian Tam
- Jon Tilli
- Richard Tisei
- Mati Weiderpass
