Sunday, July 8, 2007

I have to say it..........

As those who know me will tell you, I have been searching for the perfect apartment for 2 months now and, most recently, for the perfect roommate. I have exhausted myself looking at all types of places and have seen the very worst along with the very best. I have come to realize that "close to the L" means you can hand them coffee as they go by in the morning, "study nook" indicates that dead space in the living room behind the water heater that is useless, "quaint neighborhood" means that none of the store signs are in English" and "vintage" or "Victorian" means the place is to die for but you won't get it if you are not a gay male couple. Don't get me wrong, I love gay men, but I am tired of having the perfect place snatched out from under me by the next cute couple to come along. If this was a one time occurrence I would not say anything, but more and more the landlord will begrudgingly hand me an application but refuse to take my deposit check or discuss move in dates. I am an attorney, I am single, I have one cat, and I make a decent amount of money. I LOVE vintage and Victorian and just about wet my pants when I see a fireplace mantel or a built in china hutch in a formal dining room, but I am tired of getting turned down for apartments. I own antique furniture, don't throw wild parties, and always invite the neighbors when I cook. (For the record, I grow my own herbs because fresh is the only way to cook from scratch.) Straight people need nice housing too and I should not be condemned to live in a place that barely passes for habitable because of my gender, age or sexual persuasion. There, I said it. I do feel a bit better for venting, but I am still going to be homeless August 1.

3 comments:

Gunga Dean said...

Methinks you need some 'fabulous' roomates.

Just Catie said...

Well, I may have called the landlord back and let him know I was pissed, that I felt his practices were reverse discrimination and that I might pursue legal action. Hopefully it will cause him as much stress as it caused me to be rejected.

SnarkAngel said...

JC! JC! Won't you smile for me? Because I know you, I'm sorry to hear of your bouts with reverse discrimination. But at the same time, I know that discrimination, reverse or otherwise, is prevalent with "smaller buildings" where a number of fair housing laws do not apply. Ever thought about a vintage midrise?