Comedian Eddie Izzard defended himself against a man who shouted homophobic abuse at him as a stand against “thousands of years of transgender people being aggressively attacked”, a court has heard. A month later Penny, 24, shouted to Izzard that he was a “fucking poofter” after seeing him in a street nearby. Giving evidence at the trial, Izzard said he stood up to him and swore back because he had faced years of abuse for being a transgender man. He told Hammersmith magistrates court: “It is something I do as a transgender man. And when Izzard told the court about the homophobic abuse, Penny said: “You’re not gay, why would I shout homophobic abuse at you if you’re not gay?” before blowing him a kiss from the dock.

Source: The Guardian November 25, 2016 18:19 UTC