Here’s What LGBTQ2SIA+ Oregonians Should Know About the 2024 Legislative Session.
Last week saw “Sine Die,” a fancy Latin phrase the Oregon Legislature uses to make “end of session” sound more mysterious and dramatic—and as your resident queer and trans rights organization, we won’t say no to a little drama!
Adding to the drama in Salem was the fact that this was a short session—only about a month long because it’s an even-numbered year, while odd years see long-haul sessions—and Basic Rights Oregon and our coalition partners advocated for many different bills and issues. We’re pleased to see real progress on several core issues, while other priorities will likely need to be revisited in future sessions.
Here’s a look at what LGBTQ2SIA+ Oregonians and our allies have to celebrate from the 2024 Oregon Legislative session, and areas where more work is needed.
Wins worth celebrating!
This session saw big investments in our communities—thanks in big part to the Oregon Legislature’s LGBTQ Caucus, which advocated for important queer and trans-specific services.
A few budget wins that your team at BRO fought hard for:
$4 million for a second Prism Health LGBT health center in Portland, thanks to our friends at the Cascade AIDS Project.
$1.25 million for the Queer Data Project, which aims to collect accurate and comprehensive information about LGBTQ2SIA+ Oregonians’ lives and needs. This data will be crucial in future advocacy efforts for our communities!
$1.8 million for Treatment Foster Care Oregon, a program that provides a higher level of support for families and youth most at-risk in Oregon’s foster care system. Queer and trans youth are overrepresented in our foster system, and BRO was proud to advocate for this as part of the Foster Homes of Healing coalition.
Additionally, Governor Tina Kotek’s housing package passed with $376 million in funding for housing and houseless services. We know LGBTQ2SIA+ folks are over-represented in Oregon’s houseless and low-income communities, and we’re pleased to report the package includes funds for culturally specific and responsive services for underserved communities.
Finally, one more good piece of news to share: Of the four anti-LGBTQ2SIA+ bills introduced this session, none of them got a committee hearing, meaning they were stalled from advancing to a vote. As we’ve said before, these bills stood never chance of passing given our pro-equality majority at the Capitol—they existed to stir up controversy and perpetuate a culture of fear and hatred against queer and trans Oregonians. We’re grateful these discriminatory bills were not further uplifted with precious committee time.
Still work to be done
Senate Bill 1583, also known as the “Freedom to Read” bill, would have strengthened protections against discriminatory censorship in our schools and libraries. Unfortunately, it failed to make it to a final vote this session.
“It’s unfortunate that our Legislature couldn’t come together to ensure our queer and trans youth see themselves reflected in their books and curriculum, and that all of our kids have an education about the world around them, unobstructed by discrimination or political agendas,” said BRO Executive Director Kyndall Mason. “BRO and our partners will continue to fight for every Oregonian’s right to freely access information, and to protect our educators and librarians from fear-based censorship.”
Additionally, the BRO team was saddened to see the passage of HB 4002, which reversed part of Measure 110 and re-criminalized possession of small amounts of illegal drugs. Oregon is undoubtedly in the midst of an addiction crisis, but we know that trying to fix addiction with criminal punishment isn’t a real solution—and it disproportionately targets Black and brown folks, queer and trans people, and especially those who hold those intersecting identities.
Our state needs more affordable, accessible and culturally responsive treatment services, and BRO looks forward to continuing to advocate for effective and compassionate solutions in coalition with organizations like Unite Oregon, Imagine Black, ACLU of Oregon and others.
Democracy is a year-round assignment
We may have reached sine die, but that doesn’t mean political advocacy work in Oregon is done for 2024! Basic Rights Oregon works all year long to protect the rights of LGBTQ2SIA+ Oregonians, from the school board to the State Capitol.
You can get involved in our work by following us on Instagram and Facebook, and signing up for our email newsletter to learn about future volunteer and advocacy opportunities. If you have the means, you can also donate directly to the Basic Rights PAC to fuel our electoral and advocacy work.
Thanks as always for supporting the rights of queer and trans Oregonians!