Izzard interview in New Statesman

[Abitofalark]

Have not found a thread on this interview by Rachel Wearmouth. One has rather a lot to say about oneself and plenty of other things but not much that makes sense: “I consider myself a trans woman, I’m gender fluid”.
[In part]:
"Izzard came out as trans in 1985 and said two years ago that she preferred the pronouns she/her. She has been surprised by the reaction. “I consider myself a trans woman, I’m gender fluid,” she says. “I’ve been out for 37 years. I don’t know what everyone wants. Do they want more notice? 38 years? No one should be surprised.”

She wastes no time fretting about abuse – “37 years of transphobic bullying and it’s water off a duck’s back” – but nor does she want to be “the poster child” for the trans rights movement. “It’s not an overt thing. Obama wasn’t overtly going in to become the black president or a black senator,” she argues.

Starmer, she says, should avoid Tory culture wars on this and other subjects. “I would just say, don’t take the bait on that.”

If selected Izzard could become Labour’s first trans MP and debate about reforms to gender self-identification are splitting all political parties. Rosie Duffield, a Labour MP sceptical about self-ID, has said she’d rather be arrested than refer to Izzard as a woman when asked whether misgendering someone should be a hate crime; Starmer, however, has backed tougher laws.

Izzard has a stock answer: “Other people have to join the 21st century. I’m already in the 21st century. It’s 2022, so everyone else should just get on board.”

When we move on to discuss how self-ID reforms would affect women-only spaces she becomes impatient at being seen as the spokesperson for the trans movement. “I don’t have all the answers,” she says. “I happen to be trans. All I can do is say how it is for me. I can’t come in and wave a magic wand and solve all the problems, because some people are very entrenched.”

And some people strike me as being very entitled.

www.newstatesman.com/politics/labour/2022/11/eddie-izzard-interview-sheffield-labour-trans-rights

Eddie Izzard is a fairly inept gaslighter. And a man.

We see you. You did not “come out” as trans 37 years ago, you were a young man in a dress. Now you are a middle aged man in a dress calling yourself a “girl”. It’s delusional but somehow knowing and creepy.

We did talk about the interview in this thread:
www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4653015-sheffield-central-labour-candidate-abtisam-mohamed-vs-eddie-izzard

In other news Izzard has made today the final shortlist of 4 candidates although is not likely to beat the other 3 candidates who all have more support in the local party and the unions. They also are all women.

seriously, does Eddie thinks no one remembers the last 37 years?

just wants to look like a pioneer not a bandwagon jumper.

Yep agree with this. There wouldn’t be a problem if Eddie used the facilities for his sex.

A bit of rewriting of history there, he didn't come out as Trans in 85, he always described himself as a cross dresser and always used to acknowledge he was male🤦‍♀️

Eddie is male when offered lucrative acting roles, unsurprisingly.

Wasn't he male when he did all those marathons not that long ago? As a runner I'm always envious that male runners can quickly find a bush to have a wee and the queue for the ladies has about 50 people queuing for 2 loos!

This. I have seen Eddie many times live around early to mid 90s. His mantra was 'these aren't womens' clothes, they are my clothes '.

He was funny and different.

Now he is a gas lighting middle aged man telling women what to think.

What do you mean 'also'? If you are using 'woman' as an identity statement than has anyone bothered to check whether those females 'identify as women'? If you are using is biologically then Eddie does not get into the category.

Izzard wouldn't be the first trans MP. Surprised the New Statesman got that wrong.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-60943012

Although Jamie Wallis hasn't I think actually dressed as a woman since being trans caused her to flee the scene of an accident.

Did he actually say, "where is Sheffield?" 😐

he said this:

If they do want a supercharged councillor, there are great people there. But the thing that I bring that is different, is their activism has been local and my activism has been national and international .. Because I have a personality, I am a character, and I am known across the UK and across the world, people will be saying: ‘Eddie Izzard, so tell me about Sheffield. Where is Sheffield?

because until Eddie's the MP, literally no one will know where sheffield is

twat

There’s so much utter BS in this. He has not been “out” since 1985, one of his routines when I saw him in the 90s made the list very clearly that he was a man; “it’s not a woman’s dress, it’s mine.”

He always, always said that he was a man who chose to dress, sometimes, in what is more normally women’s clothing.

Was he lying then, or is he lying now?

You are parsing that incorrectly.

First they have local support, and secondly they are all women. The also means in addition to having local support, not in addition to Izzard being a woman.

@howmanybicycles

I read that 'also' as following 'the other 3 candidates all have more support in the local party and unions' rather than meaning being the same as Eddie, who is not a woman.

I did a search and it didn't bring that up.

You are part of the problem

He’s lying, and he knows it. During the ‘90s he was very vocal about being a heterosexual man who was a transvestite.

Now that his celebrity light is waning he’s slipped on his kitten heels to be in ‘girl’ mode, slips them off to be a “boy” (his own description of how he moves between sexes) and is relying on people being too afraid to call him out.

AGP poster “boy.”

I was born in England. I am not white. If someone referred to me as an immigrant I'd be mightily dischuffed and think that person was an ignorant racist twat.

Labour's first trans MP. Isn't the one you mention Conservative?

A middle aged male man describing themselves as being in 'girl mode' is frankly creepy. In fact it's worse, its a fetish.

Because I have a personality how incredibly rude! The other candidates don’t have personalities? He really isn’t doing himself any favours with the labour voters of Sheffield who would have to get behind him if they don’t get their preferred candidate.

I really don’t understand why he’s done this when he clearly used to understand the reality of sex and I’m sure still does. With the “boy mode” thing as well, I can’t see how he can really think he’s a woman in any way that makes sense so he comes across like he’s trying to troll trans people as well as feminists. It’s not really a great way to convince people you’d make a good or honest politician.

Exactly Dis. We all know there’s a fetish for grown men to dress as babies, and be “looked after” by a mistress/dominatrix. Just because Izzard has added on a few years to take his identity into “girlhood” doesn’t make it any different in my opinion.

Those men are adults, not babies.
He’s a man, not a woman.

@Abitofalark ah, sorry, misread the article.

He problem of men saying they are women and then wanting access to womn’s single-sex facilities?

How so?