On June 10, the Oregon Health Authority published its annual summer resources list for "LGBTQIA2S+ young people." Among the 15-plus organizations the state directed children as young as 12 toward was Rainbow Youth, a group whose lead facilitator is a furry activist named Moss Lobos — a person known to wear a cat fursuit and whose profile picture on the organization's website features them holding a sign that reads "all cats are gay."

The Washington Free Beacon's Zach Kessel reported on the OHA's resource list, which the agency distributed as schools let out for summer break — conveniently timed with Pride Month. The state health agency's press release urged families to help young people "stay connected to resources that promote mental health, safety, belonging, and wellbeing." Dr. Dean Sidelinger, OHA's Health Officer and State Epidemiologist, declared that "every young person deserves to feel safe, supported and valued for who they are."

Noble sentiments. But the list of organizations the state vouched for tells a different story than the anodyne press release. Rainbow Youth holds in-person meetings for children starting at age 12, facilitated by staff like Lobos. The Free Beacon reported that another activist connected to the state-approved resources is a biological man who regularly posts photos wearing only women's underwear to social media.

The full roster of OHA-endorsed organizations includes the TransActive Gender Project at Lewis & Clark Graduate School, the Marie Equi Center — which provides "trauma-informed care" for "trans, queer, intersex, and gender diverse communities" — and Rogue Trans in Southern Oregon. Eight PFLAG chapters across the state made the cut. So did the Sankofa Collective, focused on Portland's Black LGBTQ community, and Transponder, a transgender-led nonprofit in Eugene.

None of these organizations were vetted publicly before the OHA attached the state's seal of approval. The resource list was distributed via government email and posted on the official Oregon Health News blog. Dr. Sidelinger added that the agency wants "young people and their families to know that support doesn't end when the school year does."

The OHA has been publishing these summer resource lists since at least 2022, each year expanding the roster of organizations it directs minors toward. The Eastern Oregon Center for Independent Living alone covers 13 counties. The state's Oregon Youth Resource Map targets ages 16 to 25. But Rainbow Youth's meetings start at 12 — and their lead facilitator's public persona is a person in a cat costume declaring feline homosexuality.

This is a state health agency. The same bureaucracy that handles disease surveillance and immunization data is curating youth resources from activists whose public-facing identity involves fur suits and underwear selfies. The vetting process, if one exists, produced no public documentation.

Oregon didn't stumble into this. The OHA chose these organizations, attached the state's name to them, and pointed parents and children in their direction. The resource list carries the weight of government endorsement — Dr. Sidelinger's title, the agency's logo, the official .gov domain.

When the people approving your children's summer reading think "all cats are gay" qualifies as educational outreach, the resource list isn't the problem. The resource list is the symptom.