Suzy Eddie Izzard confirms name change and reveals female pronoun preference

Suzy Eddie Izzard has confirmed the remarkable change of her name after revealing the public animosity she faced after coming out as transgender more than 30 years ago.

The comedian originally shared plans to prefix her birth name with ‘Suzy’ during a recent appearance on Good Morning Britain, while expressing a desire to keep ‘Eddie’ for public appearances.

Izzard, 61, took to Instagram on Thursday to confirm the change, but admit she was happy people continued to use her birth name and masculine pronouns — despite expressing a preference for she/her.

She shared a short message, writing: “As people know by now, I have added the name ‘Suzy’ to my names.

So going forward I prefer Suzy, but I don’t mind Eddie. And I prefer she/her, but I don’t mind him/her.

“So no one can really get it wrong unless they call me Kenneth or Sabrina. I remain Eddie Izzard in public. Thank you. Suzy/Eddie.”

Days earlier, Izzard revealed the abuse she faced after coming out as transgender in the less accepting 1980s.

The popular comedian, who is gender fluid, first came out as trans in 1985 when she was 23.

She told Good Morning Britain presenters Kate Garraway and Ben Shepherd how she was ostracized by society and “fighted in the streets” after being assaulted.

“If you were trans, you were considered toxic and not part of society. There were no conversations when I came out in ’85, so it was so hard to do mentally because I sort of had to start doing it.

“You actually had to go out and when people yelled at you in the street, when they fought you in the street, you had to fight back and stand your ground.”

In disbelief, Shepherd asked if she had ever actually been involved in a physical fight.

Izzard continued, “Yes. Not a huge number of times.

“I had a big fight that I talked about. There have been a few fights and a lot more people swearing.

“That has lessened over the years, but if I go to other places, I can get it. I’m just standing on my stripes.’

Everything after that isn’t that hard! Doing stand-up in French and German.’

Izzard previously revealed that she turned to shoplifting when she struggled to determine her gender as a teenager, following the death of her mother.

She explained that her mother’s death made it “impossible” for her to express herself – to the point of making herself sick when she was cast as a woman in a theater show while attending boarding school in her teens.

She said the protector: “After mom died, I was only with my brother and my dad, so even putting on a dress was impossible…

‘I was caught stealing makeup when I was 15… Suddenly I’m 16 and I’m cast as a gangster mole in this revue. I became psychosomatically ill’.

Despite being given the chance to discover her gender during the school performance, she was unable to tackle the job due to fear.

She explained, “They had to find someone else to do it. I could hear his performance from the room I was in. By the time it was over I was well again. I was probably thinking, ‘This is what I really want, but don’t I just sound like a boy?’”

Eddie continued, “When I came out I realized I didn’t look much… well, I kind of look like a trans person, but I think the world is more relaxed about that now, and so am I. We went through a unicorn phase, but we just have to be human…

“If we get boring, we’ve made it. “You’re lesbian or gay or bi or trans, yes, but what do you do?” “Oh, I’m a librarian.” “Are you a good librarian or a bad librarian?” ‘I’m a good librarian. I can find all the books for you.’

Or an astronaut. “Are you a good astronaut or a bad astronaut?” ‘Ah, a bad one, I’m afraid. I landed on the wrong planet…”

Last month, Eddie said she understands there could be confusion around her name and identity, but insisted no one could offend her.

She said, “So there’s all this now about people not knowing what to say — I prefer Suzy, but I don’t mind Eddie.” I prefer she/her, but I don’t mind him/her.

“No one can make a mistake unless they call me Gregory or Sabrina, and that’s not quite right. Everything else nobody can make a mistake and they can choose.”

Eddie added that it’s a “difficult time” to be a trans person, saying, “This tough time with trans is just something we have to get through…

“We’re talking right now. And we will get through it. People get very angry on the internet and I just ignore it. I try to be really positive. I want to become a member of parliament.’

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.