Texas AG Ken Paxton Weighs in on Supreme Court Case, Says Workplace Anti-Discrimination Laws Don't Apply to LGBTQ+ People

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has joined other Republican state AGs in advising the U.S. Supreme Court that LGBTQ+ folks aren't protected from being fired over their sexual orientations or gender identities.

Paxton and attorney generals from 14 other states filed a brief with the high court arguing that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans sex discrimination, doesn't apply to sexual orientation or gender identity, according to a report by the Advocate.

The Supreme Court on October 8 will hear consolidated cases involving people who say they were fired for being gay or undergoing gender transition. Federal appellate courts have been split over whether Title VII applies to the cases.

Congress would need to pass new laws specific to anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination to allow such protections, Paxton and crew maintain in their filing.

But they're outnumbered by attorneys general from 21 other states, who filed a brief arguing that LGBTQ+ workers are protected under Title VII, the Advocate reports.

The Supreme Court filing is the latest in a long line of Paxton's legal maneuvers against the LGBTQ+ community.

In 2015, the AG filed a suit against the Obama administration over a change in the federal Family and Medical Leave Act that extended benefits to same-sex couples living in states that don't recognize same-sex marriage.

In 2016, he again sued the Obama administration, this time after the president advised schools to let transgender students use restrooms consistent with their gender identity.

Later that year, Paxton penned a letter to the top exec of the Target retail chain warning that the company's trans-inclusive workplace rules may lead to “criminal and otherwise unwanted activity,” and that the Texas Legislature may “at some point address the issue."

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