OREGON HEALTH ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER USES THEY/THEM/TURTLE PRONOUNS

New York Post

 

Oregon health advisory board member uses ‘they/them/turtle’ pronouns

By Natalie O'Neill

Published March 13, 2025, 2:25 a.m. ET

 

This gender identity left them shell-shocked.

 

A member of a state panel advising the director of Oregon’s Health Authority (OHA) made a wild first impression at a meeting by proclaiming, “I use they, them and turtle for my pronouns.”

 

JD Holt, who also goes by “JD Terrapin” on Facebook, made the declaration with a straight face while introducing themself at a virtual council meeting on Dec. 20.

 

“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 enthusiastically.

 

Other members of the Consumer Advisory Council in the meeting were seen blinking and hiding any reaction to the bizarre animal-world identity.

 

Holt is one of roughly two dozen “consumers” on the OHA’s Consumer Advisory Council (OCAC), which is appointed by OHA Director Dr. Sejal Hathi, who was chosen by Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek.

 

Gender Wiki, a website that documents non-binary genders, describes “turtlegender” — also dubbed “tortoisegender” — as a legitimate “xenogender” identity in which a person “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 states.

 

Xenogender is an identity that goes beyond “traditional human understandings” of gender, often using concepts from nature, the site states.

 

OHA said every member of the council and their perspectives “are highly valued.”

 

“[They] bring the voice and experiences of people across the state that have experienced behavioral health challenges,” said OHA spokesperson Amber Shoebridge told FOX News.

 

Shoebridge said members are appointed based on a joint effort between a seven-member committee appointed by the council and the director, who makes the final decision.

 

Duties of the advisory council include the ability to “investigate,” “evaluate” and “recommend” state behavioral health resources.

 

The members “represent independent, consumer-run organizations” and  “consumer-run advocacy organizations” that are active in the state, Shoebridge said.

 

The OHA did not respond to questions about how much money is allocated to the council.

 

Hathi and Kotek didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.