Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has mobilized a coalition of 17 states to support an employee's claims against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training, asserting it promotes racial discrimination. An amicus brief was filed in the case of Young v. Colorado Department of Corrections, urging the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse a lower court's decision. The plaintiff, Joshua Young, a former correctional officer, claims the DEI training fostered a hostile work environment, forcing him to leave his job.
“Unsurprisingly, when employers train their employees to treat people of different races differently—or that members of a certain race, as a group, have certain negative characteristics, or that members of certain other races deserve to be given priority treatment—hostility in the workplace increases,” Attorney General Knudsen wrote.
Knudsen contends that DEI trainings that engage in racial stereotyping and scapegoating create workplace hostility and jeopardize employee safety. While the intention might be to promote respect and cooperation, DEI programs often defame the majority group through racial stereotyping.
The brief claims that the racial discrimination faced by Young violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which forbids employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The brief states, “Our Constitution and statutory law require that individuals be treated as individuals without regard to race or color."
Young's training reportedly included messages that "all Caucasians are racists" and perpetuate white supremacy, contributing to a divisive work environment. Young seeks a declaration that his rights were violated, an injunction against racially discriminatory training materials, and reinstatement at the Colorado Department of Corrections.
The attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and the Arizona Legislature have joined this effort.