NEW YORK, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Starbucks ( SBUX ) was sued

on Tuesday by the U.S. state of Missouri, which accused the

coffee chain of using a commitment to diversity, equity and

inclusion as a pretext to illegally discriminate on the basis of

race.

In a complaint filed in St. Louis federal court, Missouri

accused Starbucks ( SBUX ) of tying compensation to racial and

gender-based quotas, and discriminating based on race and gender

in training, job advancement and with respect to its board

membership.

"All of this is unlawful," said the complaint from the

office of Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican.

Starbucks ( SBUX ) did not immediately respond to a request for

comment.

U.S. President Donald Trump, also a Republican, has tried to

shut down policies promoting diversity, equity and inclusion

inside and outside the federal government, and some companies

have taken action.

For example, Goldman Sachs ( GS ) on Tuesday canceled a

policy to take companies public only if they had two diverse

board members, generally defined as people from underrepresented

demographics.

Amazon.com ( AMZN ), meanwhile, removed a reference to

inclusion and diversity from its annual report last week.