"we've heard that spin from a couple others here as well. "
It's not spin when that is what the bill plainly says ... the only spin is when you re-interpret the wording.
so say a select few here.
What it plainly states is that people can now sue you, under the ADA, for allegedly acting on "a perception that a person has any of those characteristics or that the person is associated with a person who has, or is perceived to have, any of those characteristics."
In other words, having a roomie who is a flaming drag queen makes you a person with a disability, protected under the ADA, "...or state law if the state protections and prohibitions are stronger." Hey, folks, if you are "associated" with anyone who might be "perceived" to have "characteristics" of a protected class, you're protected too!
Thoughtcrime meets ACLU heaven.