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.

09/28/2010

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” — Down, But Not Out

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 11:20am

If you’ve been following the news lately, you know that the discriminatory and counterproductive “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy has suffered some pretty serious blows. On Friday, a federal court in Washington ordered the Air Force to reinstate ACLU of Washington client Maj. Margaret Witt, a decorated flight nurse who was dismissed under DADT in 2006. After six days of trial, Judge Ronald Leighton found that Maj. Witt's sexual orientation had no negative impact on either unit morale or cohesion (central arguments consistently cited by supporters of the policy). As Maj. Witt stated following the ruling, "Wounded people never asked me about my sexual orientation. They were just glad to see me."

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09/21/2010
DADT

Being Gay in the Military is a "Private Hell" Under DADT

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 3:30pm

The New York Times' "At War" blog on Monday released the stories of seven current and former service members and their experiences in the military under the discriminatory and counterproductive "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) policy. You would be very hard-pressed to read these powerful testimonials from obviously outstanding members of the armed forces and not come away with the impression that DADT has undermined and weakened our military, and destroyed very promising careers.

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09/16/2010

New Report Highlights Challenges Facing LGBT Students

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 5:33pm

Earlier this week, our colleagues at the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) released the 2009 National School Climate Survey, which documents the experiences of more than 7,000 LGBT middle and high school students across the country.

While the report did contain bright spots, such as the downward trend in the frequency of hearing homophobic remarks, it highlighted the daily challenges facing students who are (or are thought to be) LGBT in our nation’s schools. For example, nine of 10 reported experiencing harassment at their school within the past year based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, and two-thirds said they felt unsafe at school because of who they are. Nearly one-third skipped at least one day of school within the previous month because of concerns for their safety. Perhaps not surprisingly, locker rooms and bathrooms were locations of particular worry for LGBT students. Surely we as a country can and must do a better job of protecting these students and ensuring their rights to a first-class education free of fear of discrimination and harassment.

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09/13/2010

Maj. Margaret Witt (and Lady Gaga) vs. DADT

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 6:05pm

Today marks the start of the trial in a landmark case challenging the discriminatory and counterproductive policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT). The case was brought by Maj. Margaret Witt, a decorated U.S. Air Force flight nurse, who was dismissed under DADT in 2006 — one of the more than 13,500 men and women whose military careers were prematurely terminated since the policy first became law in the early 1990s. Maj. Witt is being represented by the ACLU of Washington in challenging her DADT firing.

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09/10/2010
DADT

DADT Dealt a Serious Blow by the Courts – Congress, You're Up.

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 5:18pm

On Thursday evening, U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Phillips ruled that the discriminatory and counterproductive policy known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) violates the constitutional rights of lesbian, gay and bisexual servicemembers. In clear and striking language in the 86-page opinion, Judge Phillips stated that DADT has a "direct and deleterious effect" on the armed forces, and issued a permanent injunction barring enforcement of the policy (a step almost certain to be fought by the government).

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09/01/2010

Does Focus on the Family Speak for Your Family?

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 4:46pm

As children all across America head back to school, far too many will face yet another year of discrimination and harassment based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Every student deserves the opportunity to attend school and learn free of fear; however, this is not the reality for many LGBT young people in schools across the country. The ACLU's own work advocating for equal protection for LGBT students is replete with examples of those who have suffered discriminatory treatment at the very hands of those tasked with providing them with an education and ensuring their safety within schools.

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08/24/2010
DADT

DADT's Other Victims: Military Spouses and Families

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 11:40am

Late last week, the Pentagon sent a 44-question survey to roughly 150,000 military spouses as part of the ongoing review of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," (DADT) and what impact repeal will have on such factors as military readiness and retention.

The obvious flaw in this survey is that it presumably won't be going to any spouses or partners of gay and lesbian servicemembers. Hearing their perspectives on how DADT impacts them and their loved ones would be an invaluable addition to this discussion.

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08/17/2010

A Back-to-School Wish for LGBT Students

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 4:04pm

As young people across the country begin to prepare to head back to school with trips to the store for new supplies and clothes, it is a good time to pause and reflect on the discrimination and harassment that continues to be endured by those students who are, or are thought to be, lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). For far too many, the dawning of a new school year brings with it the return of discrimination, harassment and physical abuse from fellow students and even school officials. Others are left to wonder what will happen when someone finds out who they are.

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08/16/2010

Mission-Critical Troops vs. Irrational Discrimination

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 4:52pm

New data released Monday morning by the Palm Center provided further evidence of the continuing harm that is being done to our armed forces as a result of the counterproductive and discriminatory policy known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT).

According to the numbers, the U.S. military continued to fire so-called mission-critical troops throughout the 2009 fiscal year. These discharges included eight linguists, 20 infantrymen, 16 medical aides, seven combat engineers, six missile artillery operating crew members, and one member of the Special Forces.

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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.

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