Eddie Izzard says she was ‘fought in the streets’ after coming out as transgender in the 1980s
Eddie Izzard has revealed the abuse she faced after coming out as transgender in the 1980s.
The comedian, 61, spoke on Good Morning Britain on Friday morning with Kate Garraway and Ben Shepherd.
She recently revealed that she would add “Suzy” to her name, but chose to remain Eddie in recent interviews since the nickname is her “public name.”
Eddie, who is gender fluid but prefers she/her pronouns, first came out as trans in 1985 when she was 23.
She told Kate and Ben how she was ostracized by society, including being “fighted in the street” and mistreated.
Tough: Eddie Izzard told Kate Garraway and Ben Shepherd on Friday’s Good Morning Britain that she was ‘fighted in the street’ when she came out as transgender
Strength: The comedian, 61, said she just had to ‘stand her ground’ when faced with the vile abuse
Eddie said, “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, Ben asked if she had ever actually been involved in a physical fight. She 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.
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Everything after that isn’t that hard! Doing stand-up in French and German.’
It comes after the actor revealed she turned to shoplifting when she struggled to determine her gender as a teenager, following the death of her mother.
Open and honest: Eddie revealed she turned to shoplifting when she struggled to determine her gender as a teenager, following the death of her mother (pictured earlier this month)
Eddie 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 may now 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 “tough 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.
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Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.