LGBTQ rights

A group of Oregon lawmakers and advocates is exploring ways to address the recent Supreme Court ruling, including additional protections for abortion and LGBTQ rights.

The hospital performed more than 12 percent of U.S. gender-affirming surgeries in 2016, Joe Robertson told OHSU Board of Trustees. Now it has turned its attention to restrooms.

The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners provides a forum for voices who say even in a state known for legal access to reproductive health, many from underserved communities face other access barriers.

The Oregon Health Plan began coverage for transgender-specific healthcare services in January, but clearer guidelines were needed to explain the evaluation for eligibility. After a Fox News report criticized the state policy, a Grants Pass Republican has called for a bill to increase the age of medical consent for transgender care.

California and New Jersey have banned the practice with legislation, which aims to turn LGBT people straight. The therapy has been widely disavowed by professional organizations as not only ineffective but dangerous but it remains in practice nonetheless.

California became the first state to ban so-called gay conversion therapies for youth in 2012, and a New Jersey court later barred them from that state, deeming such therapy consumer fraud. As the Oregon Psychological Association testified, the evidence shows that reparative therapies are not only ineffective for gay clients, they are harmful, yet they remain in active practice by certain fringe Christian organizations and counselors.