Ian Thompson
The Advocate
Washington, DC, United States
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Past articles by Ian:
The Democratic House Must Prioritize the Equality Act
Whether it passes or not, Congress needs to stand up for us. → Read More
Op-ed: The FDA Needs to Get Over Its Gay Sex Ick Factor
A blood policy based on behavior, not identity, is needed. → Read More
Op-ed: The FDA Needs to Get Over Its Gay Sex Ick Factor
A blood policy based on behavior, not identity, is needed. → Read More
Op-ed: The FDA Needs to Get Over Its Gay Sex Ick Factor
A blood policy based on behavior, not identity, is needed. → Read More
Op-ed: 2015 Is for Bigger and Bolder Action for LGBT Equality
It's time to kick things up a notch. → Read More
The DOJ’s New Profiling Guidance Is LGBTQ-Inclusive, Still Inadequate
“Hands up, don’t shoot!” “We can’t breathe!” Against the backdrop of a national, youth-led movement demanding reform of a system of policing that too often approaches communities of color like an occupying force, on Monday the Department of Justice released updated profiling guidance for federal law enforcement agencies. The guidance... → Read More
A Win for Transgender Students You May Have Missed
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Education released a long-awaited, much-needed guidance document for elementary and secondary schools that offer or want to offer single-sex classes. Included within the document was an important protection for transgender students that should not be overlooked. The guidance states clearly that transgender students must... → Read More
Married Same-Sex Couples in Indiana and Wisconsin Deserve Recognition
Meet Mel and Amber. They live in Madison, Wisconsin, with their dog and two cats. Their first baby is due this month. Following a federal district court ruling striking down the state’s discriminatory marriage ban on June 6, they married in Dane County on the courthouse steps. Reflecting on their... → Read More
In Love Is Strange, a Gay Man Loses His Job After Getting Married. It Really Happens.
It’s a story that sounds as if it were taken directly from today’s headlines. A gay couple, together for nearly 40 years, marries in front of close friends and family in a small ceremony after their state extends that freedom to same-sex couples. This is how Love Is Strange, the new... → Read More
Why Gay Groups Are Protesting FBI Surveillance of Muslims
Barred from employment with the federal government. Considered mentally ill by the psychiatric profession. Seen as criminals under state laws. Subjected to invasive surveillance and targeting by the FBI. This hostile backdrop of the “Lavender Scare” in the 1950s gave rise to some of the earliest organized advocacy efforts on behalf of... → Read More
Op-ed: Why ENDA Doesn't Cut It for the ACLU
When given the opportunity to discriminate against LGBT workers, the ACLU says, too many employers will take it. → Read More
LGBTQ Students Deserve a Fun Prom, Too
When it comes to challenges facing LGBTQ students in our nation’s schools, much of the attention is on bullying and harassment. But those problems are only a part of a much larger story. At their core, bullying and harassment are pieces of a bigger, discriminatory whole. The arrival of spring,... → Read More
How Can ENDA Protect LGBT People in the Workplace When the Religious Exemption Is So Broad?
As advocates continue the fight to pass explicit sexual orientation and gender identity nondiscrimination protections in Congress, we should take a moment to celebrate the growing understanding that discrimination against LGBT people is a form of sex discrimination. Why is that worthy of celebration? Because sex discrimination is already prohibited... → Read More
President Obama Really Should Bar LGBT Discrimination by Federal Contractors
Yesterday in Outward, Vanessa Vitiello wrote that President Barack Obama should not use his authority to bar LGBT discrimination among businesses that contract with the federal government. Reading her piece, I found myself scratching my head in disbelief. Here’s why. First, she writes that an executive order barring federal contractors... → Read More
Op-ed: It's Time To End 'Swiss Cheese' Equality
Following Arizona Governor Jan Brewer’s veto of a bill aimed at allowing businesses and service providers to refuse to serve LGBT people, it’s time for those of us pushing back on efforts to misuse religious liberty as a license to discriminate to realize that the momentum is on our side. First, some background. As marriage for same-sex couples becomes a reality in more states, the go-to “Plan B”… → Read More