Lewis Johnston says people can believe what they want; what they can't do is legally discriminate against him because he's gay.

A man says he was denied a Waikato rental property because he loves another man.

Artist Lewis Johnston and his male partner of 15 years were considering renting while they sell their house and look to buy another.

But Johnston is now fuming after being told by a landlord the pair weren't wanted because of their sexuality.

And after the recent Orlando nightclub massacre, Johnston's not prepared to put up with that attitude any more.

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The rental property owners, who are understood to be religious, declined to comment.

At the Hamilton Night Markets recently, Johnston approached a woman he knew owned rental properties.

"She seemed relatively happy. She gave me the address to look at the house and she said she would help me with the bond. But at the end of the evening, she had spoken with her husband and it was a categorical no."

Johnston at first thought the issue was the bond, but the woman replied that it was because he was gay.

"Anger is a funny thing. I've only been that angry once in my life. I really couldn't see or hear anything around me. I went nuts. I should apologise to my mother, who copped a lot of it, and the market, for my language."

He said the recent events where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people were targeted in Turkey and Orlando tipped him over the edge.

"That's what's really done it for me. I might have just sat back and taken it, but I thought, no, bugger it. I'm 54, I'm not going to take it any more."

Johnston and his gay friends regularly experience discrimination in the Waikato.

"For me, it's been silly little things like name-calling, threats of violence. But with my friends, two of them have been beaten up in the last three years just because they were gay.

"It's not so bad as it used to be. They're unaware of what we've had to go through as older gay people, to allow these younger gay people the freedom we've got now. But you still think twice before you walk down the street hand in hand, you still think twice before you introduce yourself as a couple, because you just don't know what the reaction is going to be.

"A lot of straight people are scared because they don't know about our life, but our life is the same as theirs. The only difference is the partner we choose."

Johnston approached real estate company Harcourts, which was the agency for the house on River Road in Ngaruawahia. He said the company was appalled to hear he had been discriminated against because of his sexuality.

The advert for the newly decorated three-bedroom house on the Harcourts site stated that smokers and pet owners were not welcome in the $310-a-week property. It had been available since May 20.

By 1.30pm on Wednesday, the property had been deleted from the Harcourts website.

Harcourts spokeswoman Andrea Svendsen said in a statement that the company is opposed to any discrimination "based on sexuality or otherwise".

"After Mr Johnston informed the Ngaruawahia property management team of what occurred, the property management contract with the landlord in question has been cancelled," she said.

Johnston appreciated it.

"I expected that as a minimum."

LGBT support group Outline general manager Trevor Easton said it isn't the first time he's heard such a story.

"I think that's absolutely appalling and against his civil and human rights. It's illegal.

"I think [Harcourts gave] a good response because they've put their principles ahead of making money. There's not much else they can do, but by saying they don't think it's acceptable, it's quite a good response.

"If you put yourself in his position, what would that make you think about yourself? A second-class person. How devastating that would be to your own morale. I think it's so sad and in 2016, how far have we got? Not far."

Johnston doesn't expect his story to change anyone's mind, but he still hopes it might change people's behaviour.

"While I agree everyone in New Zealand, including religious people, are entitled to their beliefs, what they aren't entitled to is to deprive me, as a gay man, of my legal right to rent any property.

"Our money is as good as anybody's money, and we're as good as anybody."

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