Overview

• The University of Sussex conferred an honorary doctorate on Suzy Eddie Izzard during its summer graduation ceremony on July 21.
• Izzard highlighted her Sussex upbringing when accepting the degree in recognition of her acting, LGBTQ+ advocacy and fundraising achievements.
• Sussex was fined £585,000 in March by the Office for Students over a transgender equality policy judged to constrain free speech and is now mounting a court challenge.
• Former MP Ben Bradshaw and AIDS activist Simon Watney were among other honorees at the ceremony, alongside Izzard.
• Following Sussex’s regulatory penalty, universities across the UK are reassessing their transgender inclusion and academic freedom frameworks.