A new appointee to the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women received overt death threats this weekend and has been subjected to a “vicious online attack,” according to a statement by the commission.

Giselle Byrd, the first African American trans woman to serve on the MCSW, was appointed in August by Gov. Maura Healey, but this weekend, news of Byrd’s appointment circulated right-wing publications, according to the commission.

The Herald reported Monday that one state legislator, Rep. Alyson Sullivan-Almeida (R-7th Plymouth), was unhappy with the decision.

“Why on earth would the governor think anyone but a biological woman would make any sense!” Sullivan-Almeida told the Herald. “This appointment makes no sense.”

Healey’s office and the commission both emphasized that Byrd i

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