Eddie Izzard praised for bravely entering UK politics: ‘No brighter mind, no bigger heart’
Eddie Izzard’s recent news that she’s campaigning to be the Labour MP in Sheffield has been met with much support. (Getty/Dave J Hogan)
High profile pro-trans supporters have sent their support to Eddie Izzard after she announced her bid for a Labour seat in Sheffield.
The trans comedian officially announced her run with a campaign video on Tuesday (11 October) where she explained that “Labour ideals of fairness and equality have been at the core of my life.”
She initially made her bid for the candidacy in Sheffield in August but has expressed political interest for decades, including an attempt to become the mayor of London.
After launching her official bid on Tuesday (11 October), several trans allies, political figures, and celebrities took to social media to express their support for the stand-up star.
“You can do this! You would be amazing,” political advocacy group LGBWithTheT said. “You’ve got this!”
Meanwhile, others wished her luck, including Gladiator star Russell Crowe, who said: “Fantastic. Go on Eddie. No brighter mind, no bigger heart.
“What an amazing opportunity for Sheffield,” Crowe continued.
But, as with any notable transgender figure putting themselves in the limelight, Izzard felt her fair share of anti-trans posts, with some blatantly misgendering her, while others made crude insults.
But this was met with incredible pushback by the overwhelming amount of supporters, who called out those calling her a “mediocre man” despite the wave of incredible things she has done in the past, including at least 49 marathons for charity.
I swear to fucking god I’ve just seen a QT of that Eddie Izzard video calling her a ‘mediocre man’, and misgendering aside, is it her:
• decades-long stand up career
• fluency in 4 languages
• Hollywood film roles or
• 49 marathons for charity…that you find so mediocre?
— Stella Cast 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ (they/she) (@SpillerOfTea) October 11, 2022
Mate after seeing this I'm pretty confident Eddie Izzard is going to win this seat. Pretty hype seeing a trans person be in with a real shot at winning an election in the UK. Good luck to her and her team! https://t.co/c02gnuivKe— Katy Montgomerie 🦗 (@KatyMontgomerie) October 11, 2022
“I hope Eddie Izzard has a strong team and good mental health support around her, because she’s about to become a lightning rod for the vicious bigotry of the worst f**king a**eholes in the country,” one user said.
Another joked about the ridiculous assertions made by anti-trans groups, saying: “They’ll all be like ‘would you share a changing room with Eddie Izzard’, and most people will answer ‘do you think she’d sign an autograph if I asked nicely?'”
‘All-women shortlist’
One of the biggest arguments between anti-trans Labour members is whether Izzard would be put on an all-women shortlist for her candidacy.
Several users have claimed they would leave the party if this were to happen, including alleged comments from Rosie Duffield.
This is despite the fact that Labour has planned to drop all-women shortlists after legal advice warned that continuing to use them for Westminster seats would be “unlawful”.
HuffPost UK reported that, due to the number of female MPs currently in Labour, future general elections using all-women shortlists could put the party in breach of the 2010 Equality Act.
“Labour has a proud record of increasing women’s participation in politics,” party chair Anneliese Dodds said in a statement at the time. ”
That is why there are now 104 women Labour MPs at Westminster – over half of the parliamentary Labour Party.
“The Labour Party is committed to continuing to use positive action, including all-women shortlists, in all situations where it is able to do so.”
