‘JD Terrapin’: Oregon’s Mental Health Advisory Panel Includes Someone Who Identifies As A ‘Turtle’

Despite a seemingly endless string of outlandish “genders” added by leftist activists in recent years, individuals still occasionally make headlines with their chosen identities.

One member of a panel designed to advise the Oregon Health Authority on mental health-related issues, for example, recently identified as “turtle” gender during a teleconference call.

As Fox News reported:

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.”

Holt’s introduction sparked widespread derision online:

You cannot make this stuff up. They/Them/Turtle: Oregon mental health advisory board includes a member who identifies as a TURTLE. You read that right JD Holt an advisor to Mental health services identifies as an actual Turtle.

They just playing with us now? pic.twitter.com/ZczMzC8Gvu

— MFn Bane (@Mfersworld_) March 13, 2025

I don’t believe we’re going to agree on the definition of health

— 𝕁𝔼𝔽𝔽𝔼ℝ𝕊𝕆ℕ𝕊 𝕍𝕀𝕆𝕃𝕀ℕ (@Rust_And_Decay) March 13, 2025

JD Holt, who also goes by "JD Terrapin a member of a state ( Oregon ) panel advising the director of Oregon's Health Authority (OHA) on best practices and policies in mental health identifies as a "turtle
Can't make this shit up!
Another great democrat pick
🤣😂🤣😂

— K Marshall (@Opinion439689) March 13, 2025

This wasn’t the first time Kotek has been on the receiving end of criticism this week.

NEW: Oregon Governor Tina Kotek declares March 10 as “Abortion Provider Appreciation Day.”

Only a Democrat can create and celebrate people who k*ll innocent babies. pic.twitter.com/oCFjSakqT0

— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) March 11, 2025

The Daily Mail also reported on the recent OHA meeting:

Holt has also been found to have promoted ‘anarchist’ causes and encouraged people to obstruct immigration enforcement actions, according to a review of their public Facebook posts by Fox News Digital.

ADVERTISEMENT

‘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 post on January 29.

Their post encouraged people to yell and scream at federal immigration authorities and make their jobs as ‘difficult and uncomfortable’ as possible.

Peculiar behavior is not uncommon at the OHA as at an earlier meeting another member was also heard using unexpected pronouns, introducing themselves as ‘Luke A Shooting Star.’

Here’s a clip of the exchange:

WATCH: A person who is 'turtlegender' currently sits on the Oregon Consumer Advisory Council, which advises decisions about mental health services in the state.

J.D. Terrapin, whose pronouns are "turtle" and "they/them," is a member of the 21-person panel that recommends… pic.twitter.com/uwoSpvjjM4

— Off The Press (@OffThePress1) March 10, 2025