British comedian and political activist Eddie Izzard has announced that she will be taking on a new feminine name in addition to her current moniker.
Izzard appeared for an interview on Matt Forde’s Political Party podcast. She shared her plans to “keep going until I get in” as a member of parliament for the U.K.’s progressive Labor Party, Politico reports. The conversation then turned to Eddie herself, who took the opportunity to publicly reveal her new name.
“I’m Eddie,” she told Forde, before continuing: “There’s another name I’m going to add in as well, which is Suzy, which I wanted to be since I was 10. I’m going to be Suzy Eddie Izzard.”
Izzard, who began using she/her pronouns exclusively in 2020, also said during the interview that she “doesn’t mind” being referred to with he/him pronouns, although she “prefer[s] to see she/her.” She said that while she doesn’t know many genders are out there, “we’re all somewhere on the spectrum, we have just got to chill out about it.”
The gender-fluid star expressed a similar opinion in a 2021 interview with HuffPost UK.
“I tell everyone that’s supported me, ‘Relax people, he or she, it doesn’t really matter.’ The pronoun thing isn’t the important thing, the important thing was coming out back in 1985, that was the tough time,” she said.
As for which name she prefers – Suzy or Eddie – Politico’s Dan Bloom quotes Izzard as saying, “people can choose what they want. They can’t make a mistake, they can’t go wrong.”
Izzard is a trans legend whose career has included numerous stand-up comedy tours, acting appearances, and a lifelong commitment to the U.K. Labor Party.
Speaking with Forde of her recent bid for parliament, she shared that, “Some people have been transphobic when I was going for the selection,” though she stressed that she would continue campaigning for selection “anywhere up north.”
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