Texas Pride Realty Group agent Bob McCranie understands what it’s like to feel unsafe in one’s own community, and he’s helping LGBTQ+ Texans who share that sentiment find another home.
Nine “anti-LGBTQ” bills for minors were signed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott during the Texas legislative session that ended last month, McCranie said. Texas joined 18 other states that enacted such bans.
“Those bills are doing damage to the community,” McCranie said. “They’re coming for us.”
In the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned by the Supreme Court last year, it’s no longer legal for women to get an abortion in Texas. Some in the LGBTQ+ community believe it’s a sign that other civil rights previously allowed in Texas could be stripped away, McCranie said.
“They will go for our marriages,” he said.
McCranie launched “Flee Red States” on June 1 to help those who need to sell their homes and connect them with an agent in another state or country.
“I didn’t start this conversation, but I’m glad I’m here,” McCranie told daltxrealestate.com. “This is happening. This is a migration.”
Flee Red States
McCranie is no stranger to speaking out against what he thinks is unjust. He founded Texas Pride Realty Group, brokered by HomeSmart Stars, in 2009. He didn’t like the way he was treated when purchasing a home with a partner many years ago and decided he’d become part of the solution rather than perpetuate the problem.
Texas Pride Realty’s agents are different, and they’re OK with that. They’re not going to “mute themselves” to make a commission, McCranie told daltxrealestate.com about a year ago.
And the agents at Texas Pride Realty are willing to assist those who want to flee red states, he added.
“It’s a company-wide effort,” McCranie said. “Pretty much everybody in the group is on board with this and trying to figure out how to help people. We’ll help you sell your home and we’ll connect you with a Realtor in [for example] Denver, Colo., who is going to respect you and your family.”
While drag shows and transgender youth have been polarizing topics in the Texas Legislature of late, McCranie said he’s concerned about the future.
“A pre-emption bill got signed so if a state doesn’t have a protection, no city can have municipal protections,” He said. “Municipalities have had protections for LGBTQ people for housing, employment, and healthcare. Well, those cities can’t have those because the state will pre-empt them. They’re popping the bubbles. People who feel safe in Austin or Montrose or Oaklawn, those bubbles are going to get pre-empted.”
Hundreds of Texans have contacted McCranie through the Flee Red States website to inquire about how to sell their homes and relocate to an “inclusive” area where they feel safe. He and his team at Texas Pride Realty have helped about 27 families thus far.
“You have the ability to move to a state in this country that would give you better access and better rights,” McCranie said. “If you go to a restaurant and you have crappy service and the food makes you sick, you’re never going to spend money in that restaurant again. If you live in a state that takes away your civil rights and still charges you the same taxes, why would you go back to that state? If they’re threatening to criminalize you and your community, why would you go back?”
National State of Emergency
The Human Rights Campaign declared a national state of emergency and released information on state legislation throughout the U.S. to guide people who are looking to relocate.
As McCranie has become the go-to person for relocating Texans, he’s received a lot of hate messages. He’s also heard from adults who are scared they’re going to be arrested for child abuse when they take a transgender child to a pediatrician for cough syrup.
“I’ve been contacted by some social service groups that have said, ‘If you have a trans family that needs to get out, we’ll help them get to Michigan or Illinois.’ I think in six months this network will be much better, but right now, we’re hearing from people who are in a state that is welcoming and from people who need to get out. I’ve unintentionally become a hub of that information. I’m happy to do it.”
The real estate community has shown up, even if it’s just to help North Texans sell their homes, McCranie said. However, not everyone wants to be the poster child for transgender advocacy. The LGBTQ Real Estate Alliance also has been a tremendous asset in networking people who want to relocate, McCranie said.
Article 10 of the National Association of Realtors Code of Ethics prohibits discrimination based on, among other things, sexual orientation and gender identity.
“The equality and dignity that comes in buying and selling a home should be there for all people,” McCranie said. “Whoever you are in this world, we will meet you with dignity and respect in the purchase and selling process. I kind of had to upend my whole business where I had been, for years, saying, ‘If you stay in large metro areas you’ll be fine.’ I can’t say that anymore.”
