Healey, who is one of the nation’s first elected lesbian governors, appointed a man named Giselle Byrd to the commission, and he is now the vice chair of the agency’s Programming and Planning Committee, OutKick reported. The MCSW says on its website that it is “an independent state agency charged with reviewing the status of women and girls in Massachusetts and offering policy recommendations that would improve access to opportunities and equality for all.”
“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 the commission, and I am so excited for the journey that we will take together,” Byrd said of the appointment.
Healey appointed Byrd on August 20, an action that has gained more national attention after blowback from conservatives and women’s rights advocates. The volunteer, 19-member commission was established in 1998, and members are appointed by the governor, Senate president, Speaker of the House, and the Caucus of Women Legislators.
State Rep. Alyson Sullivan-Almeida (R-7th Plymouth) told the Boston Herald Sunday that Healey had plenty of other candidates to choose from.
“Out of the nearly three and a half million biological girls and women in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Gov. Healey couldn’t identify a qualified biological woman to appoint to the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women?” Sullivan-Almeida said.
Karissa Hand, a spokesperson for the governor, told the publication Healey’s predecessor similarly appointed a transgender-identifying individual to the women’s commission.
“Giselle Byrd is a highly respected leader in the Boston arts community who is committed to the advancement of women. The Commission has a bipartisan history of having LGBT representation, as Governor Baker appointed the first transgender woman to the Commission in 2016,” Hand said.
Baker had appointed Sara Schnorr, a male who identifies as a woman, to the commission that year, the report states, citing Bloomberg Law.
Byrd is also the executive director of “The Theater Offensive.” The group’s mission statement on its website is: “To present liberating art by, for, and about queer and trans people of color that transcends artistic boundaries, celebrates cultural abundance, and dismantles oppression.”
Byrd additionally wrote a “Letter to the Community,” which states in part: “I am a Black, transgender woman from the American south advocating for change. Some folks in this country will view me as The Witch and they will try to blame me for much. I know the truth. We all know the truth.”
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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