Welcome to Basic Rights Oregon’s weekly newsletter, where we update you on the LGBTQ2SIA+ news you should know, things you can do, and ways you can help. If you have questions, reach out here. To receive this newsletter as a weekly email, signup for email updates at the bottom of our Contact Us page. BRO’s work—including this newsletter—is funded entirely by our supporters. Donate here.

Hello friends of Basic Rights Oregon! Thanks for reading our weekly update.

Spring is in the air and what better way is there to come out of hibernation than connecting with your community to dance, connect, and organize. Join us tonight for a night of queer joy at Queer’d PDX, then register for our Statewide Action Summit to transform that energy into action! Read more to learn how to register and get involved with BRO.

Here are the LGBTQ2SIA+ headlines and activities you need to know this week:

Many of you may have seen this red flag alert from the Lemkin Institute, which warns that the United States is “squarely within the early to middle stages of a genocidal process against trans people.” We at BRO are horrified by the anti-trans ideology and legislation being peddled by this Administration, and we are fighting like hell for our trans siblings. We know that news like this can make us feel powerless, scared, and hopeless, which is exactly why it’s more important than ever to be in community; to take care of each other, lift each other up, and refuse to back down.
Here in Portland, we stand proudly with the trans community. Trans Town PDX on March 29th is Portland's biggest Trans Day of Visibility celebration hosted by WERQ Together— a full day of trans joy, trans talent, and trans economic power. The celebration is chock-full of events, including a trans marketplace, resource fair, raffle, live music, comedy, and legendary drag performances. Stop by our table to learn more about how BRO is standing up for the trans community.
You may have seen headlines about the passage of Portland City Council’s LGBTQIA2S+ Protections Ordinance, which recognizes polyamorous families, but do you know that it does so much more? The ordinance expands who is protected by the City’s Civil Rights Code, updating the definition of family to clearly include stepfamilies, multi-generational families, consensually non-monogamous families, and all of the other ways that Portlanders form our diverse families.