Owner shall pay, except as provided elsewhere in thisAgreement, all expenses incurred by the Agent, including, but not limited to, reasonable attorney’s fees and Agent’s costs andtime in connection with any claim, proceeding, or suit involving an alleged violation by the Agent or Owner, or both, of any lawpertaining to fair employment, fair credit reporting, environmental protection, rent control, taxes, or fair housing, including, butnot limited to, any law prohibiting, or making illegal, discrimination on the basis of race, sex, creed, color, religion, national origin,age, marital status, or mental or physical handicap, provided, however, that the Owner shall not be responsible to the Agent forany expenses in the event that Agent is finally adjudicated to have personally, and not in a representative capacity, violated anysuch law, unless such acts and or omissions are outside the course and scope of Agent’s duties hereunder.

I shouldn't have to ask my landlord's permission to celebrate my religion and put up Christmas lights provided I'm not doing any damage to the home .

This means you cannot discriminate against tenants based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability.

The same goes for people creating groups specifically for a certain race, religion, etc.

The Fair Housing Act is what applies to privately owned property (with the exceptions Bruce listed above) and it forbids discrimination against prospective tenants because of their disability as well as race, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), skin color, familial status, and national origin. 

Every group is going to have bad apples, regardless of their race, religion, gender, socio-economic status, etc.  

Protected class means gender, race, familial status, color, religion, national origin, or disability. 

No one would ask on an application form what the applicant's sexual orientation, religion, race is etc...so why would you ask about ESA? 

Educating landlords about the importance of treating all applicants with equality and fairness, irrespective of their race, religion, or any other protected characteristics, is paramount in fostering a positive, inclusive rental environment.

This belief is not religion.