A 23-year-old woman who lives near Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. posted an advertisement for a roommate recently that specifically lists a number of house rules, including no pets and no meat products. However, it is the final “house rule” that is receiving the most attention: no supporters of President Donald Trump. She is one of many people who have recently placed ads on websites like Craigslist with stipulations that specifically exclude any Trump supporters.
Sahar Kian appeared on CNN on Saturday with host Michael Smerconish where she defended the advertisement and rejected charges that she was being somewhat intolerant.
“Look at me, I’m brown. I’m a woman. I am somebody who is heavily reliant on Obama’s pre-existing condition clause,” Kian told Smerconish. Trump has said in the past that he hopes to sign a bill overturning Obamacare, though he has suggested he hopes to keep the pre-existing conditions clause.
Kian told Smerconish that allowing a Trump supporter as a roommate would result in her home becoming a “hostile environment” and a “political battlefield” because she believes a Trump supporter is “by all means a bigot.”
Smerconish attempted to push back a bit, suggesting that Kian was painting with a broad brush. However, she rejected the notion and said she sees a distinction between Trump supporters and Republicans, conservatives and Christians.
Kian added that she had no plans to conduct “extreme vetting” of any roommate applicants and would not “drill” them on their political belief’s before agreeing to allow them inside the home. She simply believes it would be in the best interest of all involved if open Trump supporters did not apply to be her roommate.
The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability and the presence of children. However, there is no prohibition on discriminating against someone’s politics. There have been a number of reports of similar clauses in college roommate advertisements since Trump won the GOP nomination in 2016.
[image via screengrab]