Overview
- Gov. Maura Healey appointed Giselle Byrd to the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women on August 20, with some outlets later listing a November 1 effective date.
- Healey’s spokesperson, Karissa Hand, defended the choice as rooted in Byrd’s record and noted a 2016 transgender appointee to the commission under Gov. Charlie Baker.
- Conservative backlash intensified over the weekend, with State Rep. Alyson Sullivan-Almeida and several commentators objecting to Byrd serving on a women-focused body.
- Byrd, executive director of Boston’s The Theater Offensive, has described herself as the commission’s first trans woman of color.
- Court filings show Byrd is a plaintiff in a March lawsuit in Rhode Island federal court challenging NEA-related funding rules, a case filed with ACLU support.