Although they represent many diverse genders, strengths, and backgrounds, NextHome owners, brokers, and agents all have one common goal: leading with excellence.
Our NextHome LGBTQ+ professionals are proud of who they love, and exceptional at what they do.
This June, as we celebrate Pride Month, we have enjoyed beautiful conversations with some of these LGBTQ+ NextHome members. The one message that rang loud and clear was their dedication to leading with professionalism and pride in who they are.
Tad Ritchison isn’t shy about who he loves. But the NextHome Music City owner’s beautiful marriage to his husband isn’t the first thing his clients learn about him.
“First and foremost, if you want to be successful in business, you focus on your business,” Tad said. “You deliver the best experience and knowledge possible. That unparalleled service level comes when you are comfortable with who you are and what you can offer.”
Living authentically has helped Tad successfully guide a wide variety of clients through one of the biggest purchases they will ever make.
Living authentically has also helped Graham Stiles (owner of NextHome NTX Real Estate in Fort Worth, Texas) blaze a path forward for others in the LGBTQ+ community.
“Professionally, I am a proud member of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance and I am excited about the work they do and progress made towards creating a world free of housing discrimination,” Graham said.
Although perspectives around LGBTQ+ acceptance have evolved, many gay and lesbian home buyers still wonder if they will be welcomed and safe in the home of their dreams.
“We have a huge problem in the U.S. with people being overly invested in what others do in their personal lives and how they choose to live,” Graham said.
The ability to “live and let live,” as Graham put it, is a skill that many across the world are still learning.
As we work to be part of the solution, NextHome encourages each member to sharpen this skill through NAR’s At Home With Diversity Training. Paid for by NextHome, this certification helps real estate professionals learn diversity sensitivity, how it applies to U.S. fair housing laws, and ways to develop professional guidelines for working with people in an increasingly diverse real estate market. Today, more than 850 NextHome members have completed the training.
With each of us doing our part to really connect with people with diverse backgrounds and experiences from our own, progress can be made toward greater acceptance of each authentic human experience.
Although there is still a long way to go, we are already seeing some of that progress happen.
Attitudes toward LGBTQ+ professionals have evolved significantly since The Stonewall Riots in 1969 ignited a national movement.
Gallup first asked Americans about their opinions about the LGBTQ+ community in 1977, when the U.S. gay rights movement was still in its infancy, and openly gay politician Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. In 1977, only 56 percent of survey respondents believed that LGBTQ+ people should have equal rights in terms of job opportunities. By 2019, perspectives had changed. More than 93 percent of those asked the same question 42 years later agreed that equal rights in the workplace should be available to all.
In the same 1977 poll, Gallup asked Americans more specifically if gays and lesbians should be hired for certain occupations. Most said gay people should be hired as salespeople (68 percent) and about half said gay people should be allowed into the armed forces (51 percent). But minorities of Americans felt that gay people should be hired as doctors (44 percent), and just 27 percent said gay people should be hired as elementary school teachers.
Today, eight in 10 or more Americans support hiring gay or lesbian people for each of these jobs.
“If you are a great leader, you are a great leader, regardless of sex, race, origin, etc,” Graham said. “Same goes for being a bad leader. I strive daily to lead by example and to command respect, not demand it.”
“Today, Pride is a celebration of life,” Tad said. “I think about how perspectives on LGBTQ+ issues have evolved and it’s beautiful that we can finally celebrate it. You know, at my age, a lot of the people who I knew got AIDS and they don’t get to celebrate the way that I do. I feel so fortunate that we do get to celebrate Pride. We have seen so many changes.”
“Pride is a celebration of being my authentic self and a celebration of being a part of a community who has accomplished much and has a lot left to do on the equality front,” Graham added.
NextHome is proud of the excellence each broker, owner, and associate brings to every client, of every gender, and any background.