In 1998, the first study of gay and lesbian consumers, The Gay and Lesbian Market Study conducted by Simmons Market Research Bureau, showed the group to be outstanding in academics and in professional pursuits and largely prosperous, with one-fifth making over $100,000 annually, and 28 percent making over $50,000 a year. Approximately 10 percent of the U.S. population of over 289 million people are gay, say estimates. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, same sex partners (but not necessarily homosexual) make up 3.8 million households.

Then why wouldn't they make ideal real estate clients?

According to Kevin Pittman, male nurse turned Realtor and developer of RainbowReferrals.com, most gays do, but many straight agents don't want to work with them.

Is that why the world needs a Rainbow Referrals?

"Recently, there was a male couple in Brooklyn," explains Pittman, "...these two renters were told by a real estate agent that they would not be considered for a lease because they were a male couple, and she walked away saying she didn't want her waste her time. They didn't want to be a public spectacle, and they wrote me a letter. I get e-mails from people who feel they have been discriminated against, or a single person who might be gay or lesbian. That is the message I'm getting back from the community."

When he was first licensed several years ago, Pittman realized that a lot of gay clients would prefer to work with gay or gay-friendly real estate agents.

"It is a pro and con factor," says Pittman. "We can turn it on and off. It isn't the color of our skin or wearing a Star of David. The gay community is invisible. It has long been felt that the orientation is not understood. They feel threatened, not held to equal level with other communities. They feel they are looked upon as 'less than,' - those thoughts of mental disease. The community feels that they aren't treated on an equal level as other buyers or homeowners. They are afraid that they are getting substandard service."

There are many stereotypes about gays, some work for and others work against the gay client. Pittman acknowledges that there is the stereotype of the artistic, home-loving, great-taste-with-decor gay. Do gays leave real estate in better shape than when they moved in?

"I have heard sellers in real estate seminars try to teach the public about buying and selling property," says Pittman. "They will discuss issues such as if you are going to be a landlord these are types of clients to consider. Many say preferred tenants are gay, because they will take better care of your property."

He further explains a gentrification affect that follows gay community involvement in a neighborhood. "It is assumed within our community," says Pittman, "that we move in because it is affordable and we take over the area and redevelop the properties and we love beautiful environments and go to the trouble to make it liveable and profitable. Realtors say gays exist in communities where no one else does, they gentrify them and as gentrification begins, the young couples with children move in, and the gays move in to another community and rehab it. In New York City, it is happening. Gays are moving from Greenwich Village to Hell's Kitchen."

But despite programs such as the NAR's "At Home With Diversity," prejudice against gays isn't gone, says Pittman. Further, the prejudice may be working its way in the other direction. Pittman says he has had some gay agents tell him that they only want to work with gay clients. As a supporter of Fair Housing, that has Pittman concerned. He says he doesn't want to see reverse prejudice develop.

And that is the inherent problem associated with referral sites such as Rainbow Referrals. Currently, the site does not have a Fair Housing button, nor was Pittman able to point out any information posted on the site about Fair Housing. Agents who may not realize it may be committing Fair housing violations when they make statements that they only want to work with a certain group. Would any agent want to defend in court that he/she didn't want to help clients because they were straight?

That's one of the reasons why Pittman says it is time to revamp his site, and make Fair Housing information more prominent. Right now, his site asks registrants for their sexual orientation, but he says he knows it is not appropriate to ask that anymore. "If agents are going to go to the trouble to identify that they would like to work with us, then they are gay-friendly," he says. "We are changing the site and take out some things that I am going to back away from."

Pittman says he wants everyone to feel welcome at the site, including the straight community. "I've had agents contact me and tell me that the site is discriminatory. All we should be doing is asking, "Are you friendly toward this market segment? If you aren't, you should know you have no business being in there."