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NOTE: This policy was amended in May of 2021 and the changes have been incorporated therein.
Standard of Practice 10-5 prohibits REALTORS® from using harassing speech, hate speech, epithets or slurs based on the protected classes of Article 10. Statement of Professional Standards Policy 29 provides that REALTORS® are subject to disciplinary action with respect to all of their activities, except in those circumstances in which the Code of Ethics only applies to real estate-related activities by virtue of its Articles or Standards of Practice. (Revised 5/21)
To assist Hearing Panels in the appropriate interpretation and application of Standard of Practice 10-5 of the Code of Ethics and Statement of Professional Standards Policy 29, the Professional Standards Committee of the National Association provides the following for consideration by Hearing Panels when asked to determine whether a violation of Article 10 as supported by Standard of Practice 10-5 has occurred.
While the overall focus of Standard of Practice 10-5 is on what might be loosely termed “offensive” or “discriminatory” speech, Hearing Panels should be clear that the Standard of Practice is narrowly limited to conduct related to the requirements of equal professional service and that a REALTOR® refrain from being a party to a plan or agreement to discriminate on the basis of the protected classes of Article 10. Hearing Panels should also be fully aware of the nature and scope of the Standards of Practice under Article 10 and their relationship to fair housing law as described in Appendix III to Part Four of the Code of Ethics and Arbitration Manual. As described in Appendix III, Article 10 and its Standards of Practice fully integrate the five basic fair housing obligations that were recognized by NAR’s Code of Fair Housing Practices before it was sunset. (Revised 5/21)
Hearing Panels should note that while all of the Standards of Practice under Article 10 inform them as to the interpretation and application of Standard of Practice 10-5, Standard of Practice 10- 3 is particularly analogous in its application to discriminatory speech in advertising based on the protected classes of Article 10.
Standard of Practice 10-5 is not focused on types of speech that might be subjectively deemed “offensive” or “discriminatory” by one person and not another. The Standard of Practice is based on very particular types of speech that are directly connected to the protected classes of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity under Article 10. Only the use of harassing speech, hate speech, epithets and slurs based on the protected classes of Article 10 are prohibited. The terms “harassing speech,” “hate speech,” “epithets,” and “slurs” can be commonly understood by use of a dictionary as well as other easily available references. (Revised 11/22)
For example, NAR’s Code of Conduct and Anti-Harassment Policy clearly defines “harassment” and “sexual harassment.”
“Harassment includes inappropriate conduct, comment, display, action, or gesture based on another person’s sex, color, race, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and any other protected characteristic.
Examples of harassment include, but are not limited to: epithets, slurs or negative stereotyping; threatening, intimidating or hostile acts; denigrating jokes; and the display or
circulation of written or graphic material that denigrates or shows hostility toward an individual or group based on a protected characteristic.”
“Sexual Harassment” includes not only physical acts but also includes verbal and non-verbal/non- physical acts.
“Sexual harassment can be:
- Verbal: Sexual innuendoes, suggestive comments, jokes of a sexual nature, sexual propositions, or threats.
- Non-Verbal: Sexually suggestive objects or pictures, graphic commentaries, suggestive or insulting sounds, leering, whistling, or obscene gestures. … ”
Harassing speech in Standard of Practice 10-5 is similar to the definition of harassment in NAR’s Code of Conduct and Anti-Harassment Policy, except that Standard of Practice 10-5 is limited to the protected classes under Article 10. Hearing Panels should look to this existing information on harassment to determine whether harassing speech has occurred and then look to determine whether the harassing speech was based on one of the protected classes. (Revised 5/21)
In similar fashion, Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines “hate speech,” “epithets,” and “slurs” as follows:
Hate Speech: “speech that is intended to insult, offend, or intimidate a person because of some trait (as race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, or disability).”
Epithet: “1a: a characterizing word or phrase accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a person or thing; b: a disparaging or abusive word or phrase”
Slur: “1a: an insulting or disparaging remark or innuendo: ASPERSION; b: a shaming or degrading effect: STAIN, STIGMA”
Standard of Practice 10-5 should be interpreted as applying equally to speech, images, and symbols. (Adopted 5/21)
Again, Hearing Panels must look to whether the hate speech, epithet or slur is based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity and not on some other non-protected characteristic. (Revised 11/22)
Under Statement of Professional Standards Policy #29, REALTORS® are subject to the Code of Ethics' standards in all of their activities. Thus, a violation of Article 10, as supported by Standard of Practice 10-5, can occur when a REALTOR® uses harassing speech, hate speech, epithets and slurs based on the protected classes in any media or context, regardless of whether related to their activities in the real estate business or their identification as a REALTOR®.
(Adopted 11/20)