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Utah Attorney General criticized for backing repeal of LGBTQ employment protections

This article originally appeared on Fox13now.com. Read it in is entirety here .

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes is being criticized for signing on to a legal filing supporting a rollback of employment protections for LGBTQ people.

The liberal-leaning think tank Alliance for a Better Utah criticized Reyes for signing an amicus asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case on workplace discrimination. The filing by Nebraska’s attorney general includes 13 other states. It seeks to overturn a federal court’s ruling in a Michigan case against a funeral home that fired a transgender employee. The attorneys general argue that sexual orientation and gender identity are not protected under federal workplace non-discrimination laws.

“The States’ purpose is to note that ‘sex’ under the plain terms of Title VII does not mean anything other than biological status. Unless and until Congress affirmatively acts, our Constitution leaves to the States the authority to determine which protections, or not, should flow to individuals based on gender identity,” the amicus says.

Alliance for a Better Utah blasted Reyes, a Republican, accusing him of turning his back on Utah’s own law passed in an historic compromise in the Republican-dominated Utah State Legislature that prohibits discrimination against LGBTQ people in housing and employment.

“Three years ago, Utahns of all backgrounds came together to protect members of the LGBTQ community from employment discrimination in our state. Sean Reyes’ signature on this amicus brief is a flagrant violation of the spirit of that compromise based in inclusion and acceptance,” the group’s Chase Thomas said in a statement.

This article originally appeared on Fox13now.com. Read it in is entirety here .

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