I also remember as a gay person, being nervous about how I might be perceived in the workplace, what clients would say if they knew. I am particularly mindful of representation really mattering and its importance for those who have been marginalized for too long. I was pleased as attorney general to lead an office that was majority women managers and leaders and staff. Later on, in my professional life, it was for a long time majority men in certain realms. I’m lucky I got a chance to play, but being one of few girls was something I had to get used to. It just wasn’t something that a lot of girls did, and most of my youth teams were dominated by boys. Now we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX, but I remember growing up that there just weren’t that many girls playing sports. There were challenges as a girl and woman along the way. What are some ways you’ve overcome adversity? This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Healey is USA TODAY’s 2023 Women of the Year honoree from Massachusetts. “You learn about teamwork, hard work, overcoming adversity, goal setting, all of that.” Healey said she brought lessons from her years as an athlete to her work as a lawyer and beyond. As a child, she played basketball, field hockey, soccer, tennis, and softball. She became a leading public challenger to Trump administration policies - as AG she sued his administration nearly 100 times around issues including the travel ban targeting majority Muslim countries and family separation policies at the U.S./Mexico border - and made Massachusetts the first state to sue the Sackler family for their role in the opioid crisis.Įarlier, while working in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office as head of the Civil Rights Division, Healey led a successful legal challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act, helping to pave the way for marriage equality to become the law of the land.Īnd before she was a lawyer and politician, she was an accomplished athlete, playing professional basketball in Austria after college. When she was first elected as Massachusetts attorney general in 2014, a total political newcomer, she became the country’s first openly LGBTQ+ person elected attorney general.Īs the state government’s top attorney, she quickly gained a national profile. Healey, 51, is no stranger to historic firsts.
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