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.

01/29/2010

A Failure to Protect the Most Vulnerable Population Behind Bars

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 11:36am

Regular readers of The New York Times know that columnist Nicolas Kristof is a forceful advocate on behalf of human rights around the world. In his column on Thursday, January 28th — “Kids in Crisis (Behind Bars)” — he addresses serious human rights abuses that don’t require a trip half-way around the world to discover.

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01/21/2010

Step By Step in Fixing a Broken Criminal Justice System

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 5:44pm

Earlier today, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favor of establishing a bipartisan "blue-ribbon" commission to be tasked with performing a top-to-bottom examination of the nation's broken, dysfunctional criminal justice system and offering reform recommendations.

The legislation, the National Criminal Justice Commission Act, was originally introduced by Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia and is currently co-sponsored by 35 members of the Senate, both Democrats and Republicans.

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06/13/2012
LGBT Discrimination in the Workplace

ENDA Is Good, Could Be Even Better

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

On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held an important hearing on workplace discrimination experienced by those who are or perceived to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT). The hearing addressed the need for federal legislation, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), to create uniform protections for LGBT people in the workplace.   The sad reality remains that it is legal to fire or refuse to hire workers based on sexual orientation in 29 states and gender identity in 34 states.

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12/17/2008

Kemba Smith in USA Today on the Wisdom of Pardons

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 2:04pm

There is an excellent op-ed in today's USA Today from Kemba Smith urging President Bush to grant clemency requests for those men and women serving lengthy prison sentences for low-level and often first-time drug offenses.

Kemba's voice on this issue is especially important because it comes from a very personal place. She knows better than most the harsh reality of America's war on drugs and the impact of draconian mandatory minimum sentences.

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03/05/2013
Defense of Marriage Act

Historic Shift in Congress against DOMA Mirrors Shift in Public Opinion in Favor of Marriage for Same-Sex Couples

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 11:24am

On Friday, 212 members of Congress, 172 representatives and 40 senators, filed an historic brief in support of Edie Windsor's challenge to the discriminatory and unconstitutional so-called Defense of Marriage Act's (DOMA) exclusion of married same-sex couples from marriage-based federal responsibilities and rights.

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01/22/2013
LGBT News

Following Historic Speech, Working to Realize the Promise of LGBT Equality Under the Law

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 3:02pm

President Obama made history on Monday by infusing his second inaugural address with a clarion call for LGBT equality under the law. First, he linked the equality struggles for women’s rights, African American civil rights, and LGBT rights through the eloquent statement that:

We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths — that all of us are created equal — is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall…

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08/01/2012
SNDA

Historic Support for the Student Non-Discrimination Act

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 2:42pm

On Tuesday, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) signed on as a co-sponsor to the Student Non-Discrimination Act. What’s the big deal you might be asking, particularly on a bill that already has the support of more than 160 House members?

What makes Rep. Clyburn’s co-sponsorship so significant is that, for the first time, every member of the House Democratic Leadership – Minority Leader Pelosi (D-Calif.), Minority Whip Hoyer (D-Md.), and Assistant Minority Leader Clyburn – are now SNDA co-sponsors.

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01/20/2012
SNDA

Teach Respect, Demand Non-Discrimination

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 10:24am

On Wednesday, a new international effort to combat racism and intolerance in schools was launched at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with the full backing of the U.S. government. The effort, “Teaching Respect for All,” is designed to develop curriculum for use across the globe to promote tolerance and respect for all people. Importantly, the effort will allow countries to adept the curriculum for different contexts and needs.

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12/03/2010
DADT

DADT Hearing Day 2: Repeal as a "Nonevent"

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 6:40pm

The second day of landmark hearings in the Senate Armed Services Committee on the Pentagon’s just-released report on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) saw testimony from much of the uniformed leadership of the armed forces, including the chiefs of all four service branches – Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.

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10/01/2010
LGBT Bullying

Giving 'Em Hope: The It Gets Better Project

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 3:10pm

September was a hard month for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, especially for some of its youngest and most vulnerable members.

In Greensburg, Indiana, 15-year-old Billy Lucas was found by his mother in the family's barn after he had taken his own life. Late last week, Asher Brown, of Houston, Texas, died after shooting himself. On Tuesday, 13-year-old Seth Walsh of Tehachapi, California, passed away after spending nine days on life support after he hanged himself from a tree in his backyard. On Wednesday, the body of 18-year-old Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi was pulled from the Hudson River in New York, days after he was allegedly humiliated and outed to other students by his roommate. And just this morning we learned that on the same day, 19-year-old college student Raymond Chase hanged himself in his dorm room in Rhode Island.

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