The False Promise of “Change from the Inside”

Distraction: Join a committee and make change from the inside.

Fact: In gerrymandered states, LGBTQ+ and pro-diversity voices are outvoted or locked out of PAC committees. Joining means being forced to fund candidates you oppose. We don’t have to fund and participate in our oppression to demand that Article 10 be enforced.

The Comfortable Deflection

When REALTORS® question why their PAC dollars support candidates who push anti-LGBTQ+, anti-immigrant, or anti-DEI agendas, the answer often comes back:
“If you don’t like it, join the committee and change it from the inside.”

It sounds reasonable — like an invitation to participate in the democratic process. But in practice, it’s anything but.

Why “Change from the Inside” Doesn’t Work

Stacked Decks: In many states, political gerrymandering means the same party dominates every decision. Diverse voices are drowned out before they’re even heard.
Pay-to-Play Access: Participation often requires donating. That means funding a PAC that may already be endorsing candidates who work against your rights.
Structural Lockouts: In some associations, the process of getting onto the PAC committee is tightly controlled. If leadership doesn’t want a pro-diversity voice at the table, that seat simply never opens.

The “inside” is not a level playing field — it’s a rigged game designed to preserve the status quo.

What Article 10 Demands of Us

Article 10 of the REALTOR® Code of Ethics is clear: REALTORS® cannot discriminate, and we must hold ourselves to the highest standards of fairness and inclusion.

When PAC endorsements go to candidates who openly undermine diversity, we are failing that Code. Worse, we are told that the only way to object is to buy our way into a committee — only to be silenced by majority votes that ignore Article 10 altogether.

That’s not democracy. That’s complicity.

A Better Path Forward

Enforce Article 10 in Endorsements: Diversity is not a “side issue.” It’s an ethical mandate.
End the Pay-to-Play Model: REALTORS® should not have to donate to PACs in order to participate in decisions that affect our profession.
National Accountability: Since National RPAC sets the rules, it must guarantee that all voices — especially pro-diversity voices — are heard, without conditions.

The Bottom Line

We don’t have to fund and participate in our own oppression in order to demand change. Article 10 is already the standard. The only real question is: will NAR and RPAC live up to it?