A woman appointed by Gov. Maura Healey to the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW) was subjected to racist and transphobic attacks online over the weekend.

Giselle Byrd, a Black transgender woman, was appointed commissioner to the MCSW by Healey on Aug. 20. Byrd is the MCSW Program & Planning Committee vice-chairwoman and executive director of The Theater Offensive, a regional theatre company located in Boston.

Byrd and the MCSW — an independent state agency created in 1998 that advances the rights and equal opportunities for all women and girls in Massachusetts — were bombarded with derogatory and hateful commentary in countless social media posts over the weekend.

The language came from replies to posts made in response to an article published on The Heartlander Nov.

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