Overview
- Gov. Maura Healey appointed Giselle Byrd to the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women in August, and Byrd is a Black transgender woman who leads Boston’s Theater Offensive.
- Conservative politicians and right-leaning media criticized the appointment, with Rep. Alyson Sullivan-Almeida questioning the choice and commentators amplifying the story on social platforms.
- The commission said a piece from The Lion and related coverage were factually incorrect and spread through right-wing pundit circles during Transgender Awareness Week.
- Byrd has received death threats via social media and email and has reported them to Boston police, according to the commission and her spokesperson.
- Healey and the commission defended the appointment, noting a 2016 precedent under Gov. Charlie Baker, as the panel proceeds with Trans Awareness programming and plans a hearing for transgender women and girls; Byrd is also a plaintiff in an NEA-related lawsuit.