As East Sussex looks forward to a weekend of celebrating equality and individuality with two Pride events, celebrity Eddie Izzard has sent residents a personal message urging each and everyone of us to be our “authentic selves”.
Actor, comedian and charity fund-raiser, Izzard, who chooses the pronoun “she”, has done more than most to raise the issues of gender identity, the importance of acceptance, and the celebration of diversity.
This weekend Pride events will take place in Seaford and Hastings, and Eddie, who is from East Sussex, said: “As a child of 1066 Country I wish all at both the Hastings and Seahaven Pride events this weekend best wishes and I hope you all have a great time.”
Encouragement
And in a message to anyone struggling with gender or sexuality issues and anxiety, she added: “Things have come a long way since I was a trans kid growing up in East Sussex and I encourage everyone to be their authentic selves, like millions of us are now doing.”
Eddie is genderfluid and calls herself “somewhat boy-ish and somewhat girl-ish”. When asked in 2019 what pronouns she preferred, she said: “If I am in boy mode, then ‘he’, or girl mode, ‘she'”. In 2020, she requested “she/her” pronouns and said she wants “to be based in girl mode from now on”.
Acceptance and equality
The Pride events in Seaford on Saturday and Hastings on Sunday are all about acceptance, equality, and celebrating the work of LGBTQ+ people. But they’re also about raising awareness of issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community and the challenges they face, including how damaging homophobia was and still can be.
All of us at Your East Sussex could not agree with Eddie more. We urge everyone to be proud of who and what they are, and also to accept and love those around us without judgment and prejudice. We hope everyone has a fantastic time in Seaford and Hastings this weekend and does so with real Pride.
For more information visit:
Seahaven Pride and Family Festival – Lgbtq+, Pride Festival, Festival
And for links to organisations offering advice and support visit: https://1space.eastsussex.gov.uk/Search?keywords=LGBT&udg=False&Lat=&Lon=&origLoc=&location=&categoryId=
