Oregon mental health advisory board includes member who identifies as terrapin species

A member of a state panel advising the director of Oregon’s Health Authority (OHA) on best practices and policies in mental health identifies as a “turtle.”Oregon mental health board consumer JD Holt uses turtle pronouns JD Holt, who also goes by “JD Terrapin” on Facebook, is one of roughly two dozen “consumers” on the OHA’s Consumer Advisory Council (OCAC).The council, established by administrative statute, is appointed by OHA Director Dr.Sejal Hathi, who was appointed by Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat.The purpose of the OCAC is to advise Hathi on the state’s provision of mental health services, including through investigations and reviews of current practices. “Hello everybody, it’s JD.

I use they, them and turtle for my pronouns.I’m in the Springfield-Eugene area and I get to be part of the council,” Holt said during a Dec.

20 virtual OCAC meeting.Gender Wiki, a website that documents the list of non-binary genders, describes “turtlegender,” sometimes called “tortoisegender,” as “a xenogender identity in which one feels a gendered connection to turtles.”“One may feel their gender is replaced by a ‘turtle,’ or their gender is best described with the use of turtles,” the site reads. During a Dec.17 meeting, an OHA member introduced themselves as, “Luke A Shooting Star.”In a statement to Fox News Digital, OHA said that every member of the Consumer Advisory Council and the perspectives they bring “are highly valued.”“In following Oregon statute, every member of the Oregon Consumer Advisory Council is someone with lived experience, bring [sic] the voice and experiences of people across the state that have experienced behavioral health challenges,” said OHA spokesperson Amber Shoebridge.In response to questions about how Hathi goes about appointing members of the committee, Shoebridge said it is a joint effort between existing members on the council, a seven-member committee appointed by the council and...