Help BRO Pass Bills for LGBTQ2SIA+ Equality This Year!
BRO supporters meet with Rep. Rob Nosse during Lobby Day 2019.
The 2023 Oregon legislative session is underway, and Basic Rights Oregon has big plans for this year! A state legislative session is an opportunity to pass bills that will advance our mission of equality for all LGBTQ2SIA+ Oregonians.
It’s a twisty and lengthy journey for a bill to become a law in Oregon: It starts as a concept envisioned by lawmakers and/or advocates (like BRO!), then gets drafted into a formal bill, then goes through one or multiple hearings in a state Senate or House committee. If the committee approves the bill, then it must be voted on by both chambers of the Oregon State Legislature, then finally signed into law by the governor.
You can help us get our bills across the finish line by taking part in our lobby day or sharing your story with lawmakers!
This year, BRO has one bill we’re championing as our priority legislation, and several other bills we’re proud to include in our support agenda—meaning we show up to testify at committee hearings, and encourage our supporters to uplift them as well.
Here’s a look at our priority and support agendas for the 2023 Oregon legislative session.
Expanding access to gender-affirming care
Gender-affirming care (GAC) is life-saving care.
Transgender adults in the United States are 18 times more likely than the general population to have attempted suicide in the past year. But according to UCLA’s Williams Institute, this risk decreases significantly for those who have lived full-time according to their gender identity for more than a year. Transgender people–and especially transgender women of color–are also more likely than cisgender people to experience violence, but GAC that allows trans people to be seen as their true selves can reduce this risk.
Oregon is already a leader in ensuring access to gender-affirming care—but we still have a ways to go. Private insurance denials for GAC continue to be common, and the Oregon Health Plan still doesn’t cover some crucial GAC procedures, including electrolysis (hair removal) and facial affirmation surgery.
We’re proud to be championing legislation that will close these gaps in insurance coverage, so all transgender Oregonians can have safe and affordable access to lifesaving medical care. We’re partnering with our friends in the reproductive justice world, and this bill will also expand access to abortion and other reproductive care needs.
SB 610: Food for All Oregonians
Basic Rights Oregon believes everyone in Oregon should have worry-free access to food. When all in our community are free from hunger, every facet of our society is stronger. However, tens of thousands of Oregonians experience food insecurity but do not qualify for SNAP (also known as food stamps). This problem has an outsized impact on LGBTQ2SIA+ Oregonians, who are more likely to experience poverty.
Six other states already have legislation that remedies this problem. The Oregon Food Bank and Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon have developed similar policy that will close those gaps in access, and make applying for benefits more culturally responsive and welcoming. We’re proud to support Food for All Oregonians.
BRO staffers and supporters pose with former Gov. Kate Brown at a 2019 bill signing.
HB 2656: Make schools safe and healthy for all Oregon youth
Test scores, graduation rates and attendance are all important measures of statewide academic success—but they don’t reflect the entire picture of how Oregon schools are serving students, particularly more vulnerable students like our LGBTQ2SIA+) youth. We also need to know if students feel safe, healthy, and happy.
This is where the Student Educational Equity & Development Survey and the Student Health Survey (SEED and SHS) come in. By tracking data like bullying, harassment, and school drop-outs, these surveys give us insights into how our schools are serving vulnerable youth, and point to where we need to act to make change.
Currently, only 32 percent of Oregon school districts participate in SEED and SHS. Basic Rights Oregon supports HB 2656, which will make these surveys mandatory for all Oregon school districts. This bill will get us closer to ensuring all youth have the welcoming school environment they deserve.
Support our LGBTQ2SIA+ students!
In 2019, Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed the Student Success Act (SSA) into law. This lawallocated resources to help the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) serve the needs of diverse student populations, including LGBTQ2SIA+ youth.
Since the SSA passed, ODE has identified multiple ways Oregon can better serve our LGBTQ2SIA+ students, called the LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Success Plan. These include providing proper facilities for gender-diverse students; addressing school counselor shortages and creating pipelines for LGBTQ2SIA+ counselors; giving schools visible signs of affirmation such as “safe space” posters; and implementing stronger anti-harassment and bullying policies.
The LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Success Plan is off to a strong start, but it needs continued funding to achieve all its goals. Recognizing that LGBTQ2SIA+ students have significantly improved mental health and educational outcomes when they learn in an affirming environment, Basic Rights Oregon supports continued funding of the LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Success Plan.
Fair Shot Coalition agenda
We’re proud to be part of the Fair Shot Coalition. This year, Fair Shot is championing our gender-affirming care bill, as well as legislation that will help ease our housing crisis, make sure all Oregonians have a right to legal representation, and ensure Oregonians who speak Indigenous languages will have access to translation services.
Learn more about the entire Fair Shot agenda and lend your support here!
Remember, if you want to support BRO’s agenda, you can take part in our lobby day or share your story with lawmakers! When we show up and fight together, we win!