The Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) recently appointed a gender-affirming care coordinator, with an annual salary between $78,000 and $115,000. This position oversees a program dedicated to managing the needs and safety risks of transgender, intersex, and non-binary adults in custody. The post also leads a multidisciplinary team focused on these individuals’ specialized needs.
This role is part of ongoing gender-related initiatives by Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, a consistent supporter of the trans community, who is running for re-election. This hiring occurs despite a projected $55 million DOC deficit in 2026, highlighting the logistical challenges in handling trans prisoners.
A biological male killer housed in Oregon women’s prison won a substantial legal settlement in a sex abuse case.
Tina Kotek, Oregon’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee, was seen engaging with the media before casting her ballot in Portland on Nov. 2, 2022. After a 2023 assessment of Oregon’s only women-only prison, the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, Kotek stated her administration would work on addressing the delayed care problem for both cisgender and transgender inmates.
The report pointed out that transgender individuals were facing delays in accessing necessary care, such as hormone replacement therapy, creating serious medical and mental health concerns, including gender dysphoria. It included an example of a transgender resident at Coffee Creek who struggled to continue her hormone blocker treatment, leading to distressing experiences.
“I had been receiving prescriptions at the county but not here… I’ve gotten my period twice, and it’s been terrorizing and humiliating,” the resident shared.
Kotek committed to confronting national, systemic failures in meeting the healthcare needs of incarcerated women. Her response included creating the Advisory Panel on Gender Responsive Practices in Corrections, which recommended staff training on the housing and medical care of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse inmates.
The newly hired coordinator role resembles a position that would have emerged had SB 1120 succeeded. This failed bill proposed coordination of support efforts for transgender and gender-diverse adults in custody.
While this hire conflicts with Kotek’s call for reduced agency spending, the governor remains committed to expanding access to gender-affirming care as part of healthcare. Kotek declared, “Gender-affirming care is health care. Period.” She has consistently opposed the Trump administration’s efforts to restrict federal funding for hospitals providing transgender procedures to minors.
Kotek stressed that such care helps young people remain safe, healthy, and supported in their identities, aligning with major medical organizations’ views.
Details about the newly created position’s specific duties remain unaddressed by Kotek’s office, following inquiries from Fox News Digital.