Tenant Vs. Tenant Discrimination

[Faris Monshi]

Hi all,

Is a female tenant (who lives in a divided space of a living room) within their legal rights to refuse to live with a prospective male tenant who would be living in the master bedroom of the unit? This is obviously a roommate situation, but I was under the impression that only an owner-occupied unit creates the ability to discriminate/prefer things such as gender, it doesn't seem right that a tenant can block a landlord from bringing in a new tenant whose sex the current tenant doesn't prefer.

Is this right of refusal really extended to other tenants already inhabiting a unit, or does this turn into a Fair Housing situation, where no discrimination can be practiced, since the owner does not live in the unit, merely a tenant who is complaining that she does not want to live with a male. To be clear, the only thing they would be sharing is kitchen space.

Thanks!