Article Blasts Trans Woman’s Commission Appointment, Prompting Death Threats

November 21, 2025 Margaret Hetherman

An online outlet said the Mass. governor “appointed a biologically male transgender activist,” sparking a wave of homophobic and racist backlash against Giselle Byrd.

Featured Image: Photo by Hakeem Adewumi, courtesy of The Theater Offensive

In August, Governor Maura Healey appointed Giselle Byrd, a Black trans woman, to the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW), naming her Program & Planning Committee Vice-Chairwoman. On Nov. 14, the new appointee became the subject of a vicious article by online publication, The Lion, which stated that the governor “appointed a biologically male transgender activist” – along with other derogatory remarks.

Following publication, Byrd “received overt death threats and violent threats against her person as a result of this hateful and factually incorrect article,” MCSW said in release in response to the threats, some, specifically racial and homophobic in nature.

“I have experienced threats to my life and that of my community,” Giselle Byrd told WCVB in Boston. “I have lost my sense of safety through all of this.”

Image: Giselle Byrd, from the documentary, “Giselle’s Story,” directed by Susan O’Brien

The instigator of her endangerment is an outlet called The Lion – an initiative of The Herzog Foundation, which self-describes as focused on “Christ-centered K-12 education.”

Broadly speaking, The Lion notes that “American culture seems confused, even schizophrenic.” With regard to Giselle Byrd, it states that MCSW’s appointment “has drawn withering criticism from faith-based groups that say the state is moving further away from recognizing biological reality; and quotes a Massachusetts Family Institute Facebook post that reads, “this result is the logical conclusion of feminism in Massachusetts society.”

Megyn Kelly also took The Lion‘s bait, joining Libs of TikTok in flaunting her ignorance on X: “Men make the best women, we all know that.”

Amid the outpouring of malice, MCSW further stated: “Giselle Byrd, was the subject of a particularly vicious online attack that incited hateful language and violent rhetoric against one of our own. We stand in outrage with our fellow Commissioner Byrd and remain committed to protecting the safety of not only our state and regional commissioners, but of every marginalized individual threatened by violence both online and in person.”

So who is Giselle Byrd?

Byrd is an advocate and educator on the journey of transgender people in America. She is an accomplished Executive Director of The Theater Offensive, in Boston, and the first Black trans woman to lead a regional theatre company in the United States. With a background in talent management, production, casting, script coverage, brand partnerships, and fundraising, Byrd promotes the theater’s mission for uplifting the work of queer and transgender artists of color and LGBTQIA2S+ youth and their allies. Before coming to TTO, she managed the careers of actors, musicians, activists, and content creators; and created brand strategies with companies such as Gucci, Google, The WNBA, GLAAD, Netflix, ViacomCBS, and BET.

Byrd received the honor of being the first transgender woman to be accepted into Through Her Lens: The Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program. Her producer creds include the documentary short, “Giselle’s Story,” directed by Susan O’Brien; “When We Arrive As Flowers,” which traveled the film fest circuit in 2022; and her latest film, “Candyland,” for which she is associate producer and lead actor, in a narrative that unpacks gender dysphoria, addiction, and gun violence in families of color.

Byrd also serves on the Board of Directors at both Callen-Lorde Community Health Center and The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art. She is Co-Vice Chair of the advisory board for The Ali Forney Center. A native of Augusta, Georgia, she received her B.F.A. in Performing Arts from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2014.

Gov. Maura Healey stands by the appointment: “Giselle Byrd is a highly respected leader in the Boston Arts community who is committed to the advancement of women.”

And Byrd stands by her belief that the commonwealth of Massachusetts must represent all of its constituents, as she told WCVB ABC:

“I will not allow these threats and these harms and actions towards me and my community to silence me.”