Members of the state panel, who advise directors of the Oregon Health Department (OHA) on mental health best practices and policies, have identified them as “turtles.”
Oregon Mental Health Board Consumer JD Holt uses Turtle Pronouns
JD Holt, who also attends “JD Terrapin” on Facebook, is one of around 20 “consumers” on the OHA Consumer Advisory Committee (OCAC).
The council, established by administration law, was appointed by OHA Director Dr Sejal Hati, appointed by Democrat Governor Tina Kotek.
The purpose of the OCAC is to advise Hatty on state mental health services regulations, including research and review of current practices.
“Hello everyone, this is JD. I use them, those, turtles as my pronouns. I'm in the Springfield Ejean area and I'll be a member of the Council,” Holt said on December 20th. Virtual OCAC meeting.
Gender Wiki, a website that documents a list of non-binary genders, describes “turtle gender,” known as “turtles,” as “the identity of Xenogenders who feel a connection to the gender with the turtle.”
“You may feel that gender has been replaced by 'turtle'. Otherwise, gender is best explained in the use of turtles,” reads the site.
December 17th MeetingOHA members introduced themselves as “Luke a Shooting Star.”
In a statement from Fox News Digital, the OHA said all members of the Consumer Advisory Committee and the perspectives they bring are “very valuable.”
“By following Oregon law, all members of the Oregon Consumer Advisory Committee are people with living experience. [sic] OHA spokesman Amber Sheebridge said:
In response to questions about how Hathi appoints members of the committee, Sheebridge said it is a joint effort between existing members of the council, seven committees appointed by the council, and seven committees to ultimately make final decisions.
Shoebridge added that the selections will “represent independent consumer-run organizations, consumer-run advocacy organizations, and consumer-run advisory committees operating or headquartered in this state.”
Advisory Board obligations include, among other things, the ability to “examine,” “evaluate,” and “recommend” state behavioral health resources.
Specifically, the OCAC is also empowered to develop a work plan with recommendations and goals each year and to establish a “committee to investigate specific areas of interest related to behavioral health services.”
Council governance rules have been updated just like last year, with state legislators taking steps to strengthen their role in shaping decisions on mental health services policies previously.
The OHA did not answer questions about how much money would be allocated to OCAC in time for publication. However, according to the agency's website, Biennium's OHA budget for 2023-2025 was $35.8 billion.
According to the Administrative Act establishing the Panel, members of each council can be appointed for two years and re-election once.
According to a Fox News review of Holt's public Facebook post, Holt promotes the cause of “anarchists” and encourages people to disrupt immigration enforcement actions.
“What should you do at an ice checkpoint, especially if you're white and/or feel the need to stuff your work,” Holt wrote. Post on Facebook on January 29th.
Holt's post encouraged people to scream and scream at federal immigration authorities and do “difficult and uncomfortable” jobs as much as possible.
Fox News Digital reached out to Holt, Hathi and Kotek, but received no response until reporting time.
