A committee of the Virginia Association of Realtors says that Wilson Fauber, a realtor and broker, committed hate speech when he reposted a Bible verse Franklin Graham shared.

Deemed an ethics violation, his post, which supported the Biblical view that marriage is exclusively between a man and woman, may lead the 70-year-old to face fines up to $15,000, along with losing his realtor license, which would end his 40-plus-year career. Part of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the Virginia Association of Realtors’ Hearing Committee decided on Dec. 11 that Fauber had violated its Code of Ethics and Arbitration Manual. All members are expected to adhere to the code. 

The complaint was filed after Fauber, a minister, ran for city council in Staunton, Virginia, in 2023. Two Staunton realtors filed the complaint to the Virginia Association of Realtors because of a 2015 post referring to Leviticus 18:22 on Fauber’s personal Facebook page.

The realtor group’s Standard of Practice 10-5 rule, added in November 2020 after Fauber initially posted, states it “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.”

Referring to another policy, the rule states “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.”

The board ruled 10-5 that Fauber violated the Standard of Practice. The penalties, as Fauber identified, were fines varying from $5,000 to $15,000 and removal from the association at the national and state level.  

Reacting to the board’s decision in a Facebook post, Fauber points out that “The NAR policy is not limited to working with clients, it applies to the Realtor’s life 24/7!” He added, “I am a Christian 24/7. My faith and commitment to God supersedes the National Association of REALTORS®.”

Fauber argues that the rule endangers all Christians, not only Christian realtors. 

“This is just totally wrong,” Fauber said in an interview with CBN. “And the National Association of Realtors being the largest trade organization in America, they have set a precedent by adopting this policy. If I’m guilty because I post my religious beliefs in a meme or a Scripture on my Facebook or social media accounts, and if that’s guilty of ‘hate speech’ … there are millions and millions of Christians that agree with my position, and we don’t have a voice.”

Photo: Alamy