Weekly Update: New Catholic Trans Care Rules Could Impact Providence Health, Take the Pride in Numbers Pledge, 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!
We had a great time at our Volunteer Appreciation Party last night. Thank you to everyone who came out on a rainy Portland evening to celebrate this year’s wins and gear up for 2026! If you want to join our incredible group of volunteers, check out our Mobilize page for upcoming opportunities, or fill out our general volunteer interest form.
Celebrating with some of our awesome volunteers!
Here are the LGBTQ2SIA+ headlines you need to know this week:
This week, US Catholic Bishops voted to issue a ban on all gender-affirming care from Catholic hospital systems. Which is a problem that extends far beyond the Church, because millions of Americans receive their care from Catholic-run institutions—including the 1.25 million Oregonians served by Providence Health & Services, the state’s largest health system. A Providence spokesperson told the Oregonian that no changes to gender-affirming care are being made just yet, as they’re taking time to study the new guidance and its potential impacts.
Some good news: The US Supreme Court has declined to take up Kim Davis’ challenge to marriage equality. Here’s one legal analyst’s look at what might be next for same-gender marriage rights and the Court.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is on track to ban all transgender women from competing at the 2028 games, following a years-long political smear campaign against trans athletes in the US and abroad. But the IOC is still unsure on what policy to have regarding women who are intersex, or cis women who have naturally higher testosterone levels than what is considered the “normal range.” This serves as a reminder that gender is slippery, and efforts to enforce binaries and oppress trans and intersex folks will inherently hurt cis people as well.
A slight change to wording on the State Department’s website has some trans folks concerned that the feds may be planning to invalidate currently valid passports belonging to trans folks. Even as this administration has crusaded against transgender people getting the correct gender markers on their documents, it has said that current passports will remain valid, and this signals that they may soon be going back on their word (shocker, we know). But it’s still unclear if that’s the case as this is breaking news today, so stay tuned for updates.
And here are some events and ways to take action:
We’re in Give!Guide again, and a donation of $50 comes with a free sandwich at the delicious Addy’s Sandwich Bar! Help us meet our fundraising goal now, so we can plan for another big year in 2026.
Pride in Numbers is the largest-ever Two-Spirit and LGBTQIA+ research project in Oregon—independent, community-led, and rooted in real stories from real lives. Take the pledge today to participate in this data collection program, which will influence policy that impacts our lives.
Tis the season! We’re teaming up with the Lesbian Culture Club to host a screening of modern lesbian classic Carol, directed by Portland’s own Todd Haynes, on December 7!
Did you miss our special screening of Heightened Scrutiny, the documentary that follows trans legal superstar Chase Strangio as he prepares to argue before the US Supreme Court to protect gender-affirming carte? The film is now available to rent online for ONE WEEK ONLY, ending on November 20th.
Head’s up: Thursday (11/20) is Transgender Day of Remembrance/Transgender Day of Resilience. Keep an eye out early next week for a BRO post rounding up all the TDOR events happening in Oregon—and if you have an event you’d like us to include, please email it to blair@basicrights.org!
Thanks for allowing us to guide you through all the news, actions and resources this week. Now go light a scented candle (or unscented, if that’s your thing), curl up under a blanket, and remember that you’ve got a whole community of folks who care about you.