‘They/Them/Turtle’: 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.”

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.”

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“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.

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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 the director, who ultimately makes the final decision. Shoebridge added that those selected “represent independent, consumer-run organizations, consumer-run advocacy organizations and consumer-operated advisory councils that are active or headquartered in this state.”

Duties of the advisory council, among other things, include the ability to “investigate,” “evaluate” and “recommend” the state’s behavioral health resources. Specifically, the OCAC develops a working plan with recommendations and goals every year, and is also given the authority to establish “committees to investigate specific areas of interest related to Behavioral Health services.”

The council’s governing rules were updated as recently as last year, and state legislators have previously taken steps to strengthen its role in shaping decisions on mental health service policies. The OHA did not respond to questions about how much money gets allocated to the OCAC in time for publication; however, the OHA budget for the 2023-2025 biennium was $35.8 billion, according to the agency’s website. 

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Each council member serves for a term of two years and can be reelected once, according to the administrative statute establishing the panel. 

According to a Fox News review of Holt’s public Facebook posts, Holt has promoted “anarchist” causes and encouraged people to obstruct immigration enforcement actions.

“WHAT TO DO AT AN ICE CHECKPOINT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE WHITE and/or FEEL THE NEED TO JAM UP THE WORKS,” Holt wrote in a Jan. 29 Facebook post. Holt’s post encouraged people to yell and scream at federal immigration authorities and make their jobs as “difficult and uncomfortable” as possible.

Fox News Digital reached out to Holt, Hathi and Kotek, but did not hear back by press time.