Homophobic landlord refuses to rent flat to gay man because of his sexuality

A black and white photograph of Raffaele

A landlord in the province of Caserta, Italy, refused to rent out a flat to a man because he is gay, deeply alarming officials and leaving the man stunned.

Raffaele, a 30-year-old gay man from the southern town of Marcianise, had already bought the furniture for his new apartment in Naples when the landlord dashed his dreams.

He was set to move for his job working at a clothing store, according to local media.

But when the property owner found out Raffaele was gay after they met in person, on 24 February, she withdrew the offer less than a day later.

“This morning they contacted me from the real estate agency,” Raffaele said in a video, “and they tell me that they no longer give me the apartment. The reason: because I’m gay.

“Welcome to 2021, to our 2021, to my 2021. Total disgust.”

Landlord refusing to rent to gay man is ‘sign of cultural backwardness’, says councillor 

“I was stunned when I was given the news that the owner of the apartment no longer wanted to rent it to me because I am gay,” Raffaele told Napoli Today.

“The estate agency, on the other hand, has always behaved very well with me and has now broken off any relationship with the lady who did not want to take any step forward.

“I am a citizen who works and pays taxes and yet I am denied fundamental rights just because I am homosexual?

“I was really upset because in the many years I lived between Rome and Milan for work such a thing had never happened to me,” he added.

Green Europe regional councillor Francesco Emilio Borrelli told broadcaster NANOTV that the landlord denying the man a place to live on the basis of his sexuality is a “sign of a cultural backwardness that struggles to abandon us.”

“That these things still happen in 2021,” he said, “is disconcerting and worrying.”

He sought to stress that Green Europe, an electoral list composed of green political parties Federation of the Greens, Green Italy and Possible, will back Raffaele “and all the victims of discrimination in their battles.”

Comments (0)

MyPinkNews members are invited to comment on articles to discuss the content we publish, or debate issues more generally. Please familiarise yourself with our community guidelines to ensure that our community remains a safe and inclusive space for all.

Loading Comments