BREAKING: Anti-LGBT bill filed by freshman representative

Rep. Matt Shaheen, a freshman Collin County state representative, filed HB 1355 this morning (Thursday, Feb. 12), a bill defending the religious liberty of individuals who feel bullied by elected officials.
The bill, which would prohibit anything that might “threaten, punish or intimidate an individual based on the individual ’s religious beliefs,” doesn’t specifically target LGBT people. But the veiled language says something else. After all, SB 343, according to its author, Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, would essentially overturn local nondiscrimination ordinance, because it would make municipal laws comply with state laws, which currently do not protect LGBT people.
Neither Shaheen nor Huffines are LGBT allies. Shaheen is also a co-sponsor of HB 623, which would bar government employees from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. And as a proud defender of religious liberty, he also signed a letter with his fellow Collin County lawmakers opposing Plano’s equal rights ordinance.