Eddie Flipping Izzard

It is not going to take much for the TRAs to turn on Izzard. They thrive on public floggings on Twitter and they always need new victims.

Izzard doesn't even have a female name. Which proves that he is a fake fucker in trans terms.

And he's only got one spot on the NEC of Labour (and that only because of the resignation of someone who was actually elected). So he's not exactly got unlimited power.

And he's busy with his actual career stuff, unlike most TRAs who can't muster a shift at Halfords between them.

LangCleg - whatever.

I think you're rude and don't really give a shit about your opinions.

If you won't to be listened to, don't post gratuitous insults.

Lanaor - rather cruel, surely?

As to which way he goes on TRAs v feminists, we'll have to see.

Maybe he'll see this thread, give him some food for thought.

Can always hope.

LangCleg - how dare you? Nowhere have I posted "girl-blaming posts"?
That is incredibly offensive.
I criticised 3 specific girls for chasing someone down the street and mocking their clothing.

You think three teenage girls who had the confidence to assert their boundaries, defend them, and trust their instincts when they found a grown man in their private space, are the ones at fault.

That's what I call girl-blaming. And, weirdly enough, I find it offensive. You can take offence if you like. You'll still be blaming teenagers for standing up to a grown man invading their space. And I'll still think it shameful for you to do that.

Personally, I hope those three girls are now women who are still asserting and defending their boundaries whenever some unwanted penis decides their consent doesn't matter. And if they are - good for them.

Izzard's a grotesque now. However bien pensant you are, the way he looks these days will discredit him with most people in this country. I think that's refreshing, given he's a man.

Somewhat of an oversimplification, Camper - reread what I wrote. I'm reluctant to criticise him because I don't think there is sufficient evidence to criticise him.

As to what he's doing now, I'm cautiously pleased:

www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/apr/01/stain-of-antisemitism-must-be-removed-from-labour-says-eddie-izzard

Great satire from SDB - Eddie Izzard is in the political arena now and it's not the same as being a celeb. He will have to plant his flag in the ground at some point - is he with the TRAs and LM or is he a bloke in a dress. Both femininists (who seem to be leaving labour at a great rate) or TRAs (who are joining labour at a great rate); will want to know.
For what it's worth, bearing in my mind there are more feminists than there are TRAs and peak trans is trending everywhere. The sensible political option would be to side with the feminists, but TRAs seem to be the Trendy Right-On cause of the moment, so he could use that for political capital.
I have no doubt EI is a fetish dresser, women should be taught to trust their instincts when it comes to dodgy men, they are sadly rarely wrong.

Well, maybe it's just me

But the tampon wrapper makes a tearing sound as I open it. The sanitary bin lid clangs. The toilet roll holder squeals as I pull out loads to wrap.

Actually, I know it's not just me. And I'm a grizzled old timer. Teen girls deserve privacy, and so do I.

Have you seen the latest from Sandy Draws Badly?

incorrigiblyplural I hear you but I do think there is "evidence". He is recounting that story contemporaneously, through the lens of a middle aged man not as his twenty year old self.

Right now, he believes that 13 year old girls are an oppressive force against 23 year old cross-dressers and he is patting himself on the back for standing up against that oppression. Right now, he cannot see that their intimidation of him was directly as a result of his intimidation of them and that ultimately he had the power in that relationship, even if he was unaware of it as his 23 year old self.

Self absorption and self reflection are not the same thing and Izzard is as self absorbed as they come.

I get that the current political choice is almost universally about trying to pick the lesser of two evils, in all quarters, but I done with it. I won't hang my hat on someone just because they promise to lube up before sticking it to me (or others).

I reckon Labour won't be welcoming this. Izzard finally nabbing a spot on the NEC I mean.

More fuel to the transgender fire that they have been frantically trying to put out over the last few months.

Be interesting to see if Izzard shuts his gob about transgender issues and concentrates on trying to work together to defeat the Tories which is what he has been preaching to everyone else.

He will be the most senior transgender member in the party (and well known to the general public) and it will be interesting to see how he navigates that. I'm guessing that the most vocal TRAs will be on his back constantly accusing him of not doing enough to further their cause. A very fine line he has to tread.

Who knows? Maybe he'll do a decent job of it.

That’s positive incorrigably !

I havent read the izzard biography so it’s hard to comment on that but I’ve been disappointed with his recent pronouncements about boy days and girl days.
To my knowledge I haven’t heard him set out his stall on where he stands on all this. I hope he can listen to and take on board some of the points made on boards like this. It’s inportant stuff and I would have hoped someone with a modicum of intelligence would be aware of the feminist angle.

Interesting points, Hypermice.

It's sad, isn't it.

Although with the youngest generation eg my DS (11), there is quite a lot of awareness that gender conformity is not required to be a boy/girl. He insisted on pink roses on his last birthday cake and is very definitely 100% boy. None of his friends commented on it at all. He's commented that he wants to be able to like stuff like art or dance precisely because he doesn't want to be put in a box that says 'boys like this, girls like that'. Much more Robert Webb than TRA.

So the outlook is not all bad. :)

Lo sin? Cobain.. kurt cobain.

DickTERFin - our last posts crossed, so this is my reply to your most recent post.

I do think reading what he wrote as "the realisation that womens boundaries are an oppressive obstacle that even he, an effeminate man, could overcome" is a step too far, sorry.

I think that's just reading way too much into a story that really doesn't merit it.

He was just trying to use an empty loo!

Well then he should be very aware of the landscape of which he’s making his comments then.
He’s either a shit politician or he’s dog whistling the TRA’s.

No you can’t judge one trans person on what other trans people do, but he’s baiting them and showing his cards without saying outright.

I would be genuinely interested to hear him explain how he went from his previous stance of They’re not women’s clothes. They’re my clothes. I bought them. to the idea of having ‘girl days’ and ‘boy days.’

Because it’s quite a leap. The former is quite admirable gender non conformity. The latter is skirting (sorry, no pun intended) with the TRA ideology. It’s a huge ideological leap.

Is izzard identifying as a woman now? How does that reconcile with what I’d previously heard him say about clothing which is that of a man is wearing it, it’s mens clothes.

I wonder if he’s reading this thread. I would be very interested to hear how he would answer that.

It also seems to link to what people were discussing on a previous thread about ‘female’ clothing/makeup on heterosexual men being vastly more accepted back in the 90s, (the cure, lo sin etc) and pondering how that turned into ‘no you can’t wear eyeliner, you must be a girl.’ Because I genuinely thought twenty years back we were cracking the gender shit and evolving as a species. Apparently not.

Teahiccup - he's not 'moving into politics' - he's been in politics for 27 years.

And I'm not prepared to pre-judge one trans person on what some other completely different trans people do.

He doesn't hold collective responsible for what all trans people do, you know.

DickTERFin - again, you're the most rational critic here.

I agree with you that I was cross at not being able to use the changing room. And that was wrong.

But I'd like to hope that if that point was made to Izzard he could happily acknowledge that now.

Maybe he wouldn't, in which case all your points above stand.

But I'd rather give him the benefit of he doubt, because a) it's wrong to condemn people on what appears to be pretty slim/no evidence and b) the alternative to Izzard is so much bloody worse. :(

And 2) I don't think it's fair to complain that he is too self-centred in his autobiography - of course he's going to frame his experiences around defining moments for him as a cross-dresser, because it's obviously a central part of his identity. He wasn't writing a handbook on male/female relations.

No he isn't, but the framing of the story is what is telling of his attitude. It speaks to his inability to see the incident from any other perspective than his own. The point isn't really that he felt entitled to enter a female space then, it's that he still does decades later.

His "defining moments as a cross dresser" in this instance was the realisation that womens boundaries are an oppressive obstacle that even he, an effeminate man, could overcome.

He wouldn’t but his tra mates would, and those are the people he’s dog whistling with these comments.
He’s moving into politics he’s not stupid he knows the context in which he’s telling these stories, he is aware of the landscape.
And if he is a cross dresser in politics who doesnt know of it then he can’t really have his finger on the pulse.

Check out TERFisaslur.com for what happens to women when they object to the idea that lesbians have a penis.