A Plea to Eddie Izzard

bellac completely agree.

Dh is still learning, despite being a fully involved dad and our DD’s are almost grown-up. Last year our DD's were walking the dog and he had stopped (to chat with someone) and wondered why cars were beeping. DD’s didn’t respond to the beeping and kept walking. Dh was genuinely confused until one van slowed down a bit and the men lowered the window and jeered. He couldn’t get his head round it for a moment, then it clicked and he was furious, shouting at the van men, who cleared off. DD’s ignored it all. I reminded him they asked to be picked up from the gym and he used to get annoyed saying why couldn’t they cool off by walking back. We have always brought our DD’s up to ‘be/do anything they want to’ and this reality was upsetting for Dh.

Dds aren’t going to change their activities but do modify their behaviour because they are female (not engaging, don’t walk in gym wear).

No wonder some traumatised girls want to ‘opt out’ of being a girl. All girls need the stability and resilience to deal with the unwanted attention as it isn’t going away.

I used to love Eddie Izzard’s comedy. He is clearly very intelligent academically. But his emotional intelligence needs a lot of work. He can’t understand why ‘girl mode’ is so offensive. To me, it seems he wants to switch on the titillation, wanting the unwanted attention that girls and women get so worn out by. But only when it suits. And we have to all go along with Eddie which implies we accept/want the abuse girls and women get too.

Theres no surprise about that, every single person Ive worked with who is trans has some difficult or traumatic history

I work with more trans girls (girls who feel they're non binary or male) than the other way round, they usually all have some sort of traumatic parenting experience, usually involving sexual abuse, vast majority are ND in some way or a myriad of diagnoses.

Its like a epidemic across teen girls, accompanied by apparent feelings of trauma and distress if they are 'misgendered' and seeing self harm as a response to that

But for me, the issues that need to be addressed is that history and is those uncomfortable feelings rather than it manifesting into counterproductive and maladaptive responses such as 'Im non binary'.

Everything else aside, isn't he a little male old to be a girl? That's just creepy.

I just came here to say this. I saw him on some arts programme on Sky arts with people doing portraiture and he kept using that phrase, girl mode, being a girl.

So offensive, like its a coat you put on or off, lipstick and skirts are 'girl mode'. Well I dont wear skirts and rarely wear lipsticks, so am I in boy mode at those times, of course not

Im so annoyed about this

That's pretty tragic about Eddie's childhood though, what on earth was the father thinking?

I used to like him, found him hilarious, brave as a man that was happy to wear lipstick and scarves, I even fancied him a bit.

But now.. the entitlement! Happy to revert to 'boy mode' for the sake of an acting role. Happy to bully teenage girls who queried their presence in a ladies loo. And Eddie Izzard as a woman does not look good.
I assume some kind of breakdown has happened. What a shame

“It’s not a woman’s dress, it’s mine!” as one of his old lines went.

He was always very clear on this, he was a man in a dress.

Was he wrong then, or is he wrong now? He’s the same person, so it has to be one of the other.

The Lizzard has always been an odious creep.
How he managed to fool so many people for so long is beyond me.

What Eresh and OnTheBrink said.

This is such a well written piece. Well done to GL.

What I REALLY don't get is what has gone through his mind over time.

As Eddie gets older, I think he is trying to make sense of his life and how it was completely turned on it’s head by the death of the mum he obviously adored, when he was only 6.

Two quotes from Eddie:
‘Everything I do in life is trying to get my mother back’.
‘I started doing all sorts of big, crazy, ambitious things because I thought it might bring her back’.

I went to a mixed boarding school (as a day pupil) and it screwed up the mental health of even the really ‘tough’ boys. Going to a boys boarding school at 6 after the death of your beloved mum, when you are a bright and sensitive soul, is not a great.

I think he is a tortured soul but Eddie needs to listen to women a lot more as he just doesn’t understand women’s experiences.

He's a terrible actor and I've never thought he was a good comedian either. Never got the hype. I'm sure you had to be there.

Ha ! Genius plan @YouSirNeighMmmm . We should all go into Izz mode if we have our collars felt.

Edfie izzard had always been about Eddie izzard

It does make me wonder whether I should publicly announce that I am in "Izzard Mode" when I want to go around behaving like an arse.

If he stands as a labour candidate he'll struggle to avoid a debate, would he want that? Or she, I can't keep up.

It's not just that EI sees EIself as a transwoman - it's just the temporary nature of it, in accordance with what work EI can get. The very phrase "girl mode" makes me SO ANGRY. How dare EI?! Also EI seems quite happy to play a man's role again when it suits EI. I think EI is a terrible actor too. I know that's not the point but how many excellent actors aren't able to get work just because they don't make the headlines in what gender they feel like and when?

What I REALLY don't get is what has gone through his mind over time.

Some forms of 'being trans' are popular and some are not. It's easy to keep the dress and simply change the narrative.

thanks for the link. Enjoyed the reading and it summed up my thoughts

Graham Linehan, what fantastic man he is. A wonderful well written piece 👏👏👏

“Entitled white male fantasy” - yep! That’s a good piece from Glinner

What I REALLY don't get is what has gone through his mind over time. Did he used to be a cross-dresser, and now he has realised he is a woman? Or is he now some sort of women, but not a full on "born in the wrong body" one, more of a "I used to like dressing as a woman, but now I kinda half am one so we'll go for she / her pronouns". At least there is a consistency to coming out as trans and transitioning.

I am wondering when we are going to start seeing some men "admit" (aka reverse ferret looking for a get-out) that they were never women, never trans, that they made the whole thing up in order to display the whole ideology up for the nonsense it is. If so will Izzard be one of the first to "come out" as a male actor who only pretended to be trans?

I remember when he said he didn't feel like he was a woman. He said he was a man.

I remember when Eddie was a man in a dress. I liked that Eddie.