Barry Humphries as Dame Edna (Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

Barry Humphries, best known for his drag persona Dame Edna Everage, has claimed being transgender is “a fashion”.

The Australian actor made the comments in an interview with the Spectator.

In the interview Humphries lashes out at transgender activists who have criticised him, accusing them of “terrible rat-baggery”.

He also claims that being transgender is “a fashion,” adding: “how many different kinds of lavatory can you have? And it’s pretty evil when it’s preached to children by crazy teachers.”

Humphries also appeared to defend previous comments describing gender surgery as “mutilation”.

He told the outlet: “They had their genitalia chopped off and tucked in and whatever they had to do. And that aroused a lot of indignation — probably among the people who’d spent a lot of money having it done.

“But I don’t think I’m right to pontificate. I’m really an actor.”

Humphries claimed in a 2016 interview that he agrees with author Germaine Greer‘s derisive comments about “men who believe that they are women and have themselves castrated”.

He said: “I agree with Germaine! You’re a mutilated man, that’s all. Self-mutilation, what’s all this carry on? Caitlyn Jenner – what a publicity-seeking ratbag.

“It’s all given the stamp – not of respectability, but authenticity or something. If you criticise anything you’re racist or sexist or homophobic.”

Greer has previously claimed that “lopping off your d**k and wearing a dress doesn’t make you a f***ing woman” and has accused Caitlyn Jenner of transitioning so she could steal attention from her Kardashian co-stars.

Following his 2016 comments, Dame Edna’s official social media channels posted a bizarre message attempting to ‘distance herself’ from her own alter ego.



She wrote: “I’m partly Aboriginal. I’m certainly Jewish.

“I could play Canasta at the age of five. And I disassociate myself from anything Barry Humphries has to say.

“I fired him years ago but he refuses to accept dismissal. The poor thing is losing the plot.

“He deserves our pity not our disapproval.”