A rabbi and his son testify against Missouri's anti-trans bills, and the University of Oregon will showcase the history of Eugene's lesbian community.

Rabbi and His Son Testify Against Anti-trans Legislation

Rabbi Daniel Bogard, along with fellow Jewish and Christian clergy, testified at a state legislature hearing in Missouri focused on transgender student-athletes.

State lawmakers are pushing six bills, with half of the bills placing restrictions on transgender student-athletes and the other half banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender minors.

Bogard’s 11-year-old son testified to support his brother and friend. Both his brother and friend are transgender.

“I have to be here because you, the Missouri government, keeps trying to take away what they have a passion for. Why do you keep trying to take things from these kids?” he said, according to Los Angeles Blade. “Kids just want to have fun, playing sports, not being stressed having to come here to tell you to let them play. This has affected my brother, because now he is scared he will not get to do what he loves.”

University Exhibits History of Eugene’s Lesbian Community

 Courtesy photo.

The University of Oregon’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History, in partnership with the university’s Eugene Lesbian History Project, is showcasing the history of Eugene’s lesbian population.

The oral history portion on its own has 83 different narrators. One of these 83 is Enid Lefton, 72. She believes exhibits like these are important to younger people.

“The young people I’ve talked to are so moved by it, and they see their own lives," Lefton told KLCC. "I look at all the things represented in this exhibit that I’ve been involved in, and I’m not as active now as I used to be. But I think I’m still making a change. I’m still doing something. You know, I’m still contributing, even just by being here and telling my stories.”

The exhibit goes through the end of 2023 with a digital exhibit online.