Weekly Update: Trans Asylum Seeker Released from ICE Detention, Portland Pride This Weekend, and More
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.
Welcome to the weekend, BRO friends! And this isn’t just any weekend: The time has finally come for PORTLAND PRIDE, Oregon’s biggest Pride celebration. If you’re at the festival this weekend, keep an eye out for the Basic Rights Oregon booth! We’ll be collecting signatures for the Equal Rights for All Campaign, and also will have lots of fun stuff to grab—here’s a peek:
Here’s the LGBTQ2SIA+ news you should know this week:
OJM, the Portland area transgender asylum seeker who was being unlawfully detained by ICE, got released this week! This doesn’t erase all the violence and trauma ICE is causing in our communities, but it is a welcome win and a reminder that our movement can succeed, even amidst (gestures broadly) all this.
Content warning: suicide. As promised, the Trump administration officially shut down the 988 LGBTQ+ youth services option this week. As we told KGW, this takes away a safe space for our most vulnerable youth during an already overwhelming time for queer and trans folks. But there are still options: Oregon’s Lines for Life is staffing up to accommodate more LGBTQ+ callers, and both the Trevor Project and Trans Lifeline remain open. (Please reach out to one of these resources if you or a loved one is experiencing thoughts of suicide or self-harm.)
Portland’s new WNBA team got a new/old name: The Portland Fire! The WNBA is amazing for out-and-proud queer representation—among both players and fans—so get ready for more queer sports outings in 2026!
Finally, check out all the queer Emmy nominees announced this week. As much as the federal government is trying to strip away our history and even our existence, let this serve as a reminder that we’re still here, we’re still visionary, and we’re not going anywhere.
And here’s what you can do:
If you can, consider making a donation to the Trevor Project and/or Trans Lifeline to help them gear up for an increase in calls.
Planning out your Portland Pride weekend? Leave some time on your schedule for QUEERS FROM THE COUNTRY! We’re teaming up with our friends at Happylucky for this twilight prelude to Pride weekend, built for the beautifully out-of-place, the country-born, the city-bound, and everyone in between. We’d love to see you there!
Salem Pride is happening in September, and we’re recruiting volunteers! Keep the spirit of Pride going into fall by signing up to help with tabling and signature collection.
Speaking of volunteering: The Equal Rights for All Campaign’s new Mobilize page is chock full of signature collection opportunities, including at concerts, festivals, dance nights and sports games! Check it out and find a time to work that clipboard.
We’ll wrap up with some words of wisdom from nonbinary poet Andrea Gibson, who passed away this week. Gibson’s words were an inspiration and a salve for many in the LGBTQ2SIA+ community during their lifetime, and their poems will live on for years to come: