US EditionGov. Healey, Women's Commission Back Member Amid Transphobic Attacks
Giselle Byrd is the first Black transgender woman appointed to the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, drawing significant anti-LGBTQ+ backlash online.
- On August 20, 2025, Governor Maura Healey appointed Giselle Byrd, a Black transgender woman and Executive Director of The Theater Offensive, to the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women.
- Libs of TikTok's 16 November post, later quote‑tweeted by Megyn Kelly, intensified attention as critics including State Rep. Alyson Sullivan‑Almeida invoked nearly three and a half million biological girls and women.
- `I have experienced threats to my life and that of my community`, Giselle Byrd said, while the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women condemned an online article for inciting hateful language and stood by her.
- Gov. Maura Healey defended Byrd's appointment, praising her leadership, while Giselle Byrd vowed she will not be silenced despite threats and remains resolute.
- Amid Transgender Awareness Week, Giselle Byrd will join an MCSW hearing for transgender women and girls next year; she is the first Black trans woman to lead a regional theatre and the commission's first trans woman of color.
11 Articles
11 Articles
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…
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.
Megyn Kelly accused of trying to deflect Epstein backlash with latest trans attack
Right-wing pundit Megyn Kelly has been accused of trying to distract from her recent controversial comment about the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by launching an attack on Black trans filmmaker Giselle Byrd. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey appointed Giselle Byrd, a Black transgender woman and executive director of The Theater Offensive, to the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW), an appointment that, in turn, caught t…
Boston Herald
UpstractHealey 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. Byrd’s appointment was made by Healey on August …
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