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Comedian Eddie Izzard gets wave of support for using she/her pronouns

"I'm gender-fluid. I just want to be based in girl mode from now on," Izzard said on the Sky Arts program "Portrait Artist of the Year."
Image: Today - Season 68
Eddie Izzard on NBC's "TODAY" show on May 6, 2019.Nathan Congleton / NBC

Comedian Eddie Izzard has received praise and support after explaining on a British show that her pronouns are she/her.

Izzard was featured as the portrait subject for an episode of Sky Arts' "Portrait Artist of the Year," during which she explained that from now on she'd be using she/her pronouns.

Izzard was speaking to Curtis Holder, a competitor on "Portrait Artist of the Year," in which artists paint famous faces to claim the title, when she said her appearance on the show was the first time she had asked to be referred to with exclusively she/her pronouns.

"Well, I try to do things that I think are interesting, and this is the first program I've asked if I can be 'she' and 'her.' The transition period," she said.

Holder asked Izzard how she felt using the pronouns.

"Well, it feels great, because people just assume that ... well, they just know me from before. I'm gender-fluid. I just want to be based in girl mode from now on," Izzard replied.

Izzard said using the pronouns felt "very positive," adding, "One life, live it well."

Izzard has spoken about her gender-fluid identity and referred to having "modes" in the past.

"I have boy mode and girl mode. I am kind of gender fluid. I want to express both sides of myself, which has always been there. I am a tomboy and tomgirl kind of person," Izzard said in a 2019 interview with Windy City Times, a Chicago LGBTQ publication.

In the episode of "Portrait Artist of the Year" that aired Thursday, Izzard made it clear, for now, that she's in girl mode. And fans and social media users appeared to be elated.

"Eddie Izzard. I love her so much. That's it. That's the tweet," activist Charlotte Clymer tweeted.

Another Twitter user wrote with nothing but "love and adoration" for Izzard.

"In this house, we respect and love #eddieizzard," Twitter user @OnlyThoseThings wrote.

Others said hearing the news made them feel that their identity was being both represented and validated in the mainstream.

"It brings me a lot of comfort seeing #EddieIzzard, someone with a traditionally masculine name, use exclusively she/her pronouns. Names don't have genders & pronouns don't indicate gender but as someone with a feminine name who's pronouns are they/them, this makes me feel seen," Twitter user @OnceUponASophie wrote.

Still, some made bigoted comments and tried to use Izzard's her old pronouns when describing her.

Izzard didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.