Healey Criticized for Appointment to Commission on the Status of Women

Trans-Identifying Male Appointed to Women’s Panel, Outrage Erupts

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has appointed a transgender-identifying male to the state’s Commission on the Status of Women, triggering strong criticism from conservatives and women’s rights advocates. The appointee, Giselle Byrd, now serves as vice chair of the commission’s Programming and Planning Committee. The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women was created to advocate for women and girls in the Commonwealth and to offer po…

Gov. Healey, women's commission back member amid transphobic attacks

Transgender commissioner Giselle Byrd says she received death threats after her appointment; the commission and governor have defended her.

Mass. commissioner attacked online with racist, transphobic hate speech

Giselle Byrd, the first Black transgender woman on the state women's commission, received death threats and racist, transphobic comments after her August appointment was highlighted on social media over the weekend.

Mass. women's commission stands by trans appointee amid 'vicious online attack'

The woman received death threats after an article about her appointment spread through "the right-wing media pundit circle."

Healey ripped for naming trans person to Commission on the Status of Women

The hiring of a transgender person to the state Commission on the Status of Women is a first, the new board member testified, and comes as a shock to one state rep. Commission member Giselle Byrd, appointed by Gov. Maura Healey in August, said last month during a hearing over a proposed transgender act (S-2155), that as the “first trans woman of color” on the commission, the board has a new voice.

Trans-Identifying Male Appointed To Women's Commission In Massachusetts

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (a Democrat) has appointed Giselle Byrd, who is a trans-identifying male, to the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW). Byrd is now the Vice Chair of the MCSW’s Programming and Planning Committee. The board advises the state on policies affecting women and girls."It is an honor and a privilege to be able to serve alongside my fellow sister commissioners as the first transgender woman of color on t…