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"I'm gender-fluid," the actor and comedian said on a U.K. reality show. "I just want to be based in girl mode from now on."
British comedian and actor Eddie Izzard, who came out as transgender in 2017 and talked about having both a "boy and girl mode," is now sticking to the latter and using she/her pronouns.
Izzard made the announcement on the season finale of the U.K. TV program Portrait Artist of the Year, in which contestants compete for the title by drawing and painting famous people, Comedy.co.uk reports. Izzard was one of the subjects.
"This is the first program I've asked if I can be 'she' and 'her' -- this is a little transition period," Izzard said on the program. Host Stephen Mangan, contestants, and judges respected her pronouns throughout.
"I'm gender-fluid," Izzard added. "I just want to be based in girl mode from now on."
In July, Izzard had asked to be referred to as she/her when receiving an honorary degree from Swansea University, the Daily Mail reports, but the Portrait Artist of the Year appearance is much higher-profile (watch the episode below).
Izzard is known for stand-up comedy and for acting appearances on film and television. Her film credits include Velvet Goldmine, The Cat's Meow, and Ocean's Thirteen, and she has had guest shots on numerous TV shows as well as continuing roles on Hannibal, United States of Tara, and others. She won Primetime Emmys as both performer and writer on the 1999 comedy special Eddie Izzard: Dress to Kill.
Izzard got a lot of love on social media after the program aired. There was some negative, trans-exclusionary reaction as well, but many fans came to Izzard's defense in response to those comments.
\u201cMorning! I see Eddie Izzard is trending. I can\u2019t tell you what she means to me as a comic. Rocked my comedy world when I was a teen and beyond. Changed everything, made room. I love her and this morning I\u2019m very happy for her. #ohhSherlockHolmes \ud83d\ude0d\ud83d\ude0d\ud83d\ude0d\u201d— Shaparak Khorsandi \u0634\u0627\u067e\u0631\u06a9 \u062e\u0631\u0633\u0646\u062f\u06cc (@Shaparak Khorsandi \u0634\u0627\u067e\u0631\u06a9 \u062e\u0631\u0633\u0646\u062f\u06cc) 1608447906
\u201cShe's always been an incredible inspiration to me since I saw her "raised by wolves" bit on a late night Just For Laughs clip c.1991. Can honestly say she changed my life. #EddieIzzard\u201d— Stuart Goldsmith (@Stuart Goldsmith) 1608453409
\u201cI love Eddie Izzard and hope she gets everything she wants in this life\u201d— Colby Gordon (@Colby Gordon) 1608400296
\u201cJust discovered Eddie Izzard now uses she/her pronouns \u2764\ufe0flove you Eddie, thanks for being a trail blazer.\u201d— Deadly \ud83c\udf19 \ud83e\udd87 (@Deadly \ud83c\udf19 \ud83e\udd87) 1608238720
None— Chris W (@Chris W) 1608415891
\u201cMy political affiliation is pro-#EddieIzzard and anti-#JKRowling.\u201d— Andy the Corsair (@Andy the Corsair) 1608577519
\u201cEddie Izzard is a fantastic comedian and actress. It makes no sense that people claiming to be fans are flipping out now that she's exclusively using she/her pronouns and femme presentation, which have been part of her life (and standup!) for decades. Who did you think Eddie was?\u201d— Delia Harrington (@Delia Harrington) 1608338792
