Eddie Flipping Izzard

Teacuphiccup - well, if he actually does respond like that then he deserves all the hate in this thread.

But do you have any actual evidence hat he would respond in anything like that way?

And if not, why are you blackening his name by suggesting that he does?

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.

I am astonished that you think that is acceptable behaviour. Or do you think it's somehow acceptable behaviour for girls, but not for boys, say?

What twaddle.

I think you should definitely tweet and him and say you object to the idea of lesbians having a penis plural, see what response you get.

I hope you don’t mind being told to die in a fire or threatened with rape or told you should be fired.

Teacuphiccup - " I would bet my last penny he’s been harassed by more men than women. Why isn’t he talking about that? Why is this the story he’s telling now? "

Have you read the whole book? Maybe he also makes that point elsewhere?

I don't know. The fact that he is mildly negative about these particular girls on this particular occasion sounds quite justified to me - and can't be extrapolated to prove that he is always negative about all girls/women on all occasions. And even more cannot be extrapolated as proof that he never, ever criticises male homophobes. I'm pretty sure I've head him do just that previously.

TVs feel sexy when dressed. They like going out in public because the risk associated (from MEN) is exhilarating. Everybody knew this before transgenderism became a religion and the penis owners under the trans umbrella were given unassailable high priest status.

(I think Grayson Perry is the only dresser left who has the balls to speak plainly and honestly about this.)

It's one thing to walk down the High Street dressed because you enjoy it. It's quite another to invade women's private spaces. And one would hope all women could agree that a girl's first experience of a non-family adult man in her private space would be because a) she is of age and b) she CONSENTED. Certainly not because a dresser decided to override consent and invade. incorrigiblyplural - shame on you for your girl-blaming posts in this thread.

DickTERFin - your post is probably the one I can most get on board with. I do find the term 'male lesbian' really yucky.

But maybe it's worth making those points to him? Is he on Twitter etc?

He has always come across as a reasonably nice guy from his comedy and as much as I've been aware of him outside that - I admit to being initially biased in his favour for two reasons, 1) because he's been an outspoken pro-European, doing lots of comedy in other European languages (or franglaisfied version of them) and 2) Corbyn's cronies hate him, which makes me look upon him as a decent sort.

At the moment my view is 1) I'm suspicious that this thread on the very day he snatches a seat on the NEC from one of Corbyn's bezzie mates may have rather more to do with that than to do with anything Izzard has ever done that may or may not be misogynistic. 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.

I'm more interested in how he actually behaves towards real women now and whether he is misogynistic, and I don't find the fact that he once used a ladies loo and that he was negative about some teenage girls who chased him yelling insults is very clear proof that he is misogynistic.

I'd probably rather the NEC was staffed by decent, ordinary people rather than celebrities or union bosses, to be frank, but out of what we're being offered at the moment, I think there's far worse, frankly, to be angsting over.

In a week in which I've been confronted by the most horrendous, distressing anti-Semitism on social media from the left, I'm finding it quite hard to work up enthusiasm to hate someone because they once went in a ladies loo at a time they thought there'd be no-one there.

I remember thinking it was gross and not using the changing room (it was empty apart from the transvestite).

You didn't challenge him but you did curtail your own behaviour to avoid being in his presence. You might not have felt overtly threatened but you sure didn't want to be alone and in a state of undress either. Don't you think that is telling?

I don't think following someone and shouting insults is appropriate behaviour but I also don't think females having to adapt their behaviour in an attempt to avoid the presence of a male in a space he shouldn't be in is all that "appropriate" either. I'd rather these men were challenged than not (although it clearly made zero impact on Izzards sense of entitlement).

I was a goth I’ve been taunted in the street many times about the way I dress, and I would bet my last penny he’s been harassed by more men than women. Why isn’t he talking about that? Why is this the story he’s telling now?

Because it fits the narrative that the real violence comes from the women not moving over and not the men who land the punches.

"Nope. But any divvy knows you're more at risk of attack in secluded areas."

And why girls don't want men in female toilets?

Idk what tampons the rest of you are using but I've never had a noisy one

But presumably he was out in public wearing the clothes. Do violent homophobic men only exist in male toilets?

Nope. But any divvy knows you're more at risk of attack in secluded areas.

Why didn't he go home to change?

He didn't want his house mates to see him "dressed". Not because he thought they would attack him but because he felt uncomfortable "coming out" to them at that point (which I think he eventually did).

"The truth is, is that he didn't, at that time, have the bravery to face the actual oppression of homophobic men who punish gay/effeminate men for not upholding the status quo which I personally hold no judgement over. He was wrong to go into the female toilets, without a doubt, but I can understand why he thought that was his best option at staying safe."

But presumably he was out in public wearing the clothes. Do violent homophobic men only exist in male toilets?

Teacuphiccup - well, the girls were wrong to chase him and mock him, though not wrong to be curious/outraged about what he was doing in the ladies'.

I can remember being about 13 and seeing what was obviously a transvestite going into the communal changing room in Chelsea Girl (ah, Chelsea Girl! But I digress.). This would have been mid-80s, so a similar era to this. (It wasn't Izzard, in case anyone was wondering!! )

I remember thinking it was gross and not using the changing room (it was empty apart from the transvestite). I don't remember feeling threatened; I can identify with the mixture of curiosity and repugnance, and that bit from the description comes across as quite authentic to me.

But I didn't hang around till he'd finished and follow him home, shouting insults, with a gaggle of mates.

I'm not bloody surprised that that would stick in his mind after 20 years! If I was followed home by 3 girls taunting me about my clothing, I'm pretty sure it would stick in my mind too.

Bravo dick

man in make up who says it makes him change sex

Man in make up who says it makes him change sex, and who thinks it's OK to shout at teenage girls who were reasonably concerned about finding a man in the women's lavatories = right-on Bro who is on the right side of history

Fuck that

"but male violence is such a problem that he felt he had no choice."

Yup. And he's too stupid to realise that if he's frightened of other men, then teenage girls are going to be even more scared of a man in their loo.

I am so, so disappointed by this.

A man, a very intelligent and funny man, who used to fly the flag for just wearing whatever the fuck you wanted, regardless of it it was sparkly or ‘blokey’ now supporting the TRA bullshit.

Putting on nail varnish doesn’t make you a woman - men should be able to wear whatever the hell they like and not conform to the masculine crap gender roles, without participating in an ideology which will damage women’s rights.

I always thought he was a smart bloke. Very very disappointed

For me it's less about what he did then and more about his tone in the retelling of it now.

The tale poses him as the brave hero, who battles the slings and arrows of hateful oppression, (cue female children).and triumphs.

The truth is, is that he didn't, at that time, have the bravery to face the actual oppression of homophobic men who punish gay/effeminate men for not upholding the status quo which I personally hold no judgement over. He was wrong to go into the female toilets, without a doubt, but I can understand why he thought that was his best option at staying safe.

I do judge a middle aged man who reframes his cowardice (however understandable that cowardice was) as bravery. I do judge a middle aged man who hasn't developed a modicum of self reflection and cannot see that his actions were an imposition and could have been seen as threatening to female children.

I do judge a man who, to all intents and purposes, brands those children as scum and pontificates on their probable wastrul lives (like he has any idea about who they were, what they had been through and who they became), especially a man who has documented his own youthful shoplifting and other delinquencies and asks of society to understand that all that was because of unfortunate circumstances, not innate dysfunction in himself.

And I definitely judge a middle aged man who calls himself a "male lesbian".

He is a misappropriating, misogynistic narcissist and the current Labour Party is an absolute shit show (mores the pity).

Oh well, plural. That's a shame but the world won't stop turning because we are on completely different pages.

And how come he’s not telling a story about how he had to use the female loos and make some teenagers uncomfortable which he deeply regrets but male violence is such a problem that he felt he had no choice.
Does he paint the men who might beat him up as the bad guys? No of course he doesn’t. It’s the teenage girls fault.

Oh, I used to love him. Wool pulled right there.

Male entitlement will always out though....sooner or later.

AnyFucker - but why are you even discussing this on a thread about Izzard when you've just claimed that in fact the whole story never happened?

No, it's not obvious to me.

‘He didn't write 'Mmm, I was so excited at being near those teenage girls in the toilets' - that would have been gross and invasive.’

Well no of course he didn’t but the fact he still tells it as a story twenty years later and paints himself to be the victim and the girls to be in the wrong would say otherwise.

My twat detectors were raging from the first time I listened to him so no surprise for me.