(Maire Clayton, Headline USA) A member of a state panel advising the director of the Oregon Health Authority attempted to say “turtle” was one of their pronouns.
JD Holt made the wild statement during a Dec. 20 virtual meeting.
“Hello everybody, it’s JD. I use they, them and turtle for my pronouns,” Holt said. “I’m in the Springfield-Eugene area and I get to be part of the council.”
Holt also reportedly goes by “JD Terrapin” on Facebook, according to Fox News. However, it appears the account has been removed at the time of this article.
The wannabe turtle is one of roughly a dozen members on the Consumer Advisory Council that “may review, evaluate and provide feedback on all site reviews related to mental health services provided by OHA.”
The clip quickly went viral on social media with users blasting the absurdity of the comments.
“So the inmates are running the asylum,” DC correspondent Alison Steinberg wrote.
British social-media influencer Oli London decided to jokingly correct Steinberg by writing, “In this case, the turtles are running the asylum,” and added a turtle emoji.
In this case, the turtles are running the asylum
🐢— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) March 13, 2025
“On the bright side, since JD joined the OHA, he’s really come out of his shell,” one X user noted.
Popular account Libs of TikTok shared a compilation of Holt using the “turtle” pronoun at multiple sessions.
Meet JD Terrapin Holt, an actual member of the Oregon Consumer Advisory Council. JD uses "Turtle/They/Them" pronouns and helps develop policies surrounding mental health and addiction.
This is real…pic.twitter.com/fASoZkJN6V
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 10, 2025
OHA told Fox News Digital that every member on the council along with their views “are highly valued.”
“In following Oregon statute, every member of the Oregon Consumer Advisory Council is someone with lived experience, bring [sic] the voice and experiences of people across the state that have experienced behavioral health challenges,” said OHA spokesperson Amber Shoebridge.
It was found Holt shared extreme views on Facebook and would promote how to disrupt Immigration and Customs Enforcement checkpoints, Fox News reported before the account was deactivated.
