Nadine Strossen
Defending even hateful speech
Free expression without exceptions.
Progressive Civil LibertarianOne of 729 ideologies · enter the Civil Libertarian hall →- Role
- Law professor
- Era
- b. 1950
- Region
- United States
- Social band
- Progressive
- Placement
- +40 · −28 · +65
§ Where Nadine Strossen stands
3 axesStrossen treats economic policy as outside the civil-liberties mission, so her placement reflects acceptance of the market order rather than an economic programme. Her free-speech philosophy itself borrows market logic: in HATE (2018) she argues that open competition among ideas, rather than official gatekeeping, is the best way to expose falsehood and counter bigotry.
Strossen opposes state censorship almost without exception, defending the speech rights even of racists and extremists on the principle that any power to suppress will be turned against minorities and dissenters. Under her leadership the ACLU challenged the 1996 Communications Decency Act, whose indecency provisions fell in Reno v. ACLU (1997), and opposed surveillance powers in the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001.
A self-described feminist, Strossen supports abortion rights, LGBT equality and racial justice, and argues that censorship has historically been used against the very groups progressives seek to protect. In Defending Pornography (1995) she challenged the anti-pornography feminism of Catharine MacKinnon and Andrea Dworkin, contending that women's rights depend on sexual freedom and free expression.
How close are you to Nadine Strossen?
Three statements, one per axis. Answer them and we’ll drop you on the compass next to them.
§ The story
LivingNadine Strossen (born 1950) is an American lawyer and constitutional scholar who served as president of the American Civil Liberties Union from 1991 to 2008, the first woman to lead it. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, where she was an editor of the Harvard Law Review, she worked in private legal practice before becoming a professor at New York Law School, where she held the John Marshall Harlan II chair. She has written and debated widely on free speech, censorship and civil liberties.
Strossen led the ACLU through the culture wars of the 1990s and the security debates after 11 September 2001, when the organisation opposed provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act. Her signature position is that the answer to hateful or offensive expression is more speech, not censorship, a case she made against feminist campaigns to restrict pornography in Defending Pornography (1995) and against hate-speech laws in HATE (2018). That stance has won her allies across the political spectrum and criticism from those who see speech codes as protection for vulnerable groups.
Notable for
- 01First woman ACLU president
- 02'HATE: Why We Should Resist It With Free Speech'
- 03Free-expression advocacy
Key works & moments
- 1991Elected president of the ACLU, the first woman to hold the post.
- 1995Publishes Defending Pornography: Free Speech, Sex, and the Fight for Women's Rights.
- 1997The ACLU wins Reno v. ACLU, striking down the Communications Decency Act's indecency rules.
- 2008Steps down after 17 years as ACLU president.
- 2018Publishes HATE: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship.
§ Minds closest to Nadine Strossen
All minds →
§ Also in the Civil Libertarian hall
Enter the hall →§ Common questions
4 answersWhat is Nadine Strossen's political ideology?
Nadine Strossen is a civil libertarian and liberal feminist: on the 99ideologies three-axis compass, a Progressive Civil Libertarian. Economically she sits on the market side of centre (+40), less from any economic programme than because her work accepts the market order and concentrates on rights. On governance she leans libertarian (−28), opposing state censorship and surveillance, and socially she is clearly progressive (+65), supporting abortion rights, LGBT equality and women's sexual freedom.
Is Nadine Strossen left-wing or right-wing?
Mostly left-liberal, though she resists partisan labels. Strossen's feminism, support for reproductive and LGBT rights and long leadership of the ACLU place her on the liberal left of American politics. Yet her uncompromising defence of free speech, including the speech of racists, extremists and conservative campus speakers, has made her a frequent critic of progressive speech codes and hate-speech laws, and has won her allies on the right. Her consistent commitment is civil libertarian rather than partisan.
Why does Nadine Strossen oppose hate-speech laws?
Because she believes they do more harm than good. In HATE (2018) Strossen argues that hate-speech laws are inevitably vague, that officials tend to enforce them against unpopular minorities and dissenters, and that they drive bigotry underground rather than refuting it. She notes that US law already punishes speech that directly causes specific imminent harm, such as true threats and incitement, and contends that counter-speech, education and protest are more effective responses to hateful views than censorship.
Which minds are closest to Nadine Strossen?
On the 99ideologies three-axis compass, the minds closest to Nadine Strossen are Ida B. Wells (100% alike), Roger Baldwin (98% alike) and Atticus Finch (97% alike). The furthest is Gregor Strasser (13% alike).