Blog of Rights
Ian S.
Thompson

Ian Thompson is a Legislative Representative in the ACLU’s Washington Legislative Office. In this capacity, Thompson works to advance the organization’s civil liberties and civil rights agenda in Congress and the executive branch by focusing on LGBT rights, HIV/AIDS and sex education. Prior to joining the ACLU in January 2006, Thompson interned in the Washington, D.C., office of Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio). A 2005 graduate of Penn State University, Thompson holds a degree in International Politics.

08/13/2010

Torture Memos Author and the Freedom to Marry

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 11:57am

You might think that a man who achieved infamy as one of the authors of Justice Department legal memos authorizing torture, thereby undermining the rule of law, would be happy to retreat to a life of quiet obscurity — hey, at least it isn't a prison cell! But such is evidently not the case with University of California, Berkeley, law professor John Yoo.

Read More»
08/06/2010

President Obama — Now is the Time to Lead on Marriage Fairness

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 11:08am

Wednesday's landmark decision by U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker striking down California's Proposition 8 as an unconstitutional violation of the rights of gay and lesbian couples provided President Obama and his administration with the perfect opportunity to finally embrace fairness in marriage. Such a position should not be a far leap for a man who has repeatedly stated his support for the rights of LGBT Americans and is a constitutional scholar, yet it has sadly eluded him, at least publicly, up to this point.

Read More»
07/28/2010

Thanks Bill O’Reilly, From Your Friends at the ACLU

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 2:05pm

We were pleasantly surprised – indeed, delighted – to have seen that none other than Bill O'Reilly came out in support of ending the counterproductive and discriminatory policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) in an appearance on the

Read More»
07/27/2010

The Final Push – Imminent House Vote to Reform Broken Crack Sentencing Law

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 2:13pm

Advocates who have been working for years to reform one of the most dysfunctional aspects of our criminal justice system – the infamous and discriminatory 100-to-1 sentencing disparity between crack cocaine and the powder form of the drug – have finally arrived at the critical final stage. The House will vote this week on a measure known as the Fair Sentencing Act (S. 1789), which passed the Senate unanimously earlier this spring. If the House succeeds in passing the legislation, it will be sent to President Obama for a final signature and become the law of the land.

Read More»
07/21/2010

The Continuing Need to Protect LGBT Students Across the Country

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 10:23am

As you may already know, yesterday we announced the settlement of Constance McMillen’s lawsuit against her Mississippi high school for canceling the prom rather than allowing her attend with her girlfriend as her date and wear a tuxedo. 

While a ter
Read More»
07/16/2010
DADT

Army Comic Book Highlights the Absurdity of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 12:09pm

Earlier this week, the online collection Comics with Problems released the ironically titled "Dignity and Respect: A Training Guide on Homosexual Conduct Policy." The colorful, wordy comic from 2001 was published by the Army to educate soldiers about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and how it is enforced and carried out. On the inside cover, in big, bold letters, is written:

Read More»
07/12/2010

New National AIDS Strategy Will Address Discrimination Against Those Living with HIV/AIDS

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 5:04pm

The Obama administration will unveil a first of its kind national AIDS strategy on Tuesday, which took 15 months of work to complete. In a preview in Monday’s New York Times(which has obtained an advance copy of the national strategy), the administration plans to focus most intensively on reducing the number of new annual HIV infections, which currently stands at roughly 56,000, as well as increasing the number of people receiving care and treatment.

Read More»
06/23/2010

Ms. McMillen Goes to Washington!

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 5:40pm

It was quite the day in Washington, D.C., yesterday for ACLU client Constance McMillen. Constance made headlines this spring when her Mississippi high school took the extraordinary step of canceling the school prom rather than allow her to go with her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo. Constance and her girlfriend were eventually sent to a “decoy” prom that was attended by only a few other students while the rest of her classmates attended a private prom 30 miles away.

Read More»
06/14/2010
Youth PROMISE Act

Two Men Named Wes and the Challenge to Fix the Juvenile Justice System

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 2:53pm

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof used his space in Sunday's paper to highlight a new book called The Other Wes Moore, which tells the story of two young men from the decaying, inner-city streets of Baltimore named Wes Moore. One went on to win a Rhodes scholarship in 2000 and now has a successful career and family, and this book. The "other" Wes Moore is currently serving a life prison sentence for the murder of an off-duty police officer.

Read More»
06/10/2010

Blood Donation Ban for Gay and Bisexual Men Under Review

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 5:27pm

Current FDA policy permanently bars any man who has ever, even once, had sex with another man since 1977 from donating blood in the United States.

That's all gay and bisexual men regardless of their individual sexual histories or HIV risk. For example, the fact that an individual gay man is in a committed, monogamous relationship would not matter under the blanket ban.

Other individuals who are also at increased risk for HIV disease, however, including people who have heterosexual sex with someone who they know to be HIV-positive, or people who have had sex with a commercial sex worker, are prevented from donating blood for only a year.

Read More»
Statistics image