David Tennant, star of Doctor Who and Good Omens, is a proud supporter of trans rights. He’s used his platform to advocate for the cause via t-shirts and buttons, and he appeared in the Doctor Who episode “The Star Beast” which starred Yasmin Finney as the show’s first main transgender character, Rose Noble.
Now he’s spoken out once more at the Proud Nerd convention in Germany, and he dropped some pleasing F-bombs to illustrate his point. A viral TikTok shows a fan from the Netherlands praising Tennant for his advocacy and asking him about his relationship with gender. Tennant responds:
“When I was a kid, the idea of being non-binary wasn’t something that existed. It wasn’t a concept. I’ve seen that emerge, and people are able to express themselves through that. It only ever seems positive as far as I can see. And I think the weaponization of trans rights, gay rights… I remember when I was a teenager, I remember gay rights being weaponized politically. And that always felt ugly and nasty, and now, we look back on that, thirty years later, and those people are clearly on the wrong side of history.”
He went on, “And now, there is a similar weaponization of these topics being taken by mostly the right-wing, or certain sections of society, trying to create friction and conflict and division where it needn’t be. It’s just about people being themselves, you don’t need to be bothered about it. F*** off and let people be!” This was, naturally, met with a round of applause.
The same user posted another video where Tennant spoke of how our perception of gender identity is “more nuanced” than it once had been, and how “that only seems to be positive.”
“It’s just common sense, really,” he told the crowd. “Some people are trying to create division where it needn’t be so that they can score points or stoke up a level of division, and that can be very dangerous and lead to a lot of hatred. And it’s so f***ing unnecessary.”
The rising tide of transphobia in the UK
Transphobia in the UK has reached horrifying levels over the past few years. So-called “gender criticals” such as J.K. Rowling and Graham Linehan use their platforms online to abuse prominent trans and non-binary people and call for legislation against them.
But Tennant, one of the most beloved actors in the United Kingdom thanks to his starring role in Doctor Who, isn’t having it. He’s supported the trans community despite hate and disgusting lies being leveled at him. When Tennant wore a shirt in public that read “Leave trans kids alone you absolute freaks” former TV writer Linehan publicly accused him of being an “abusive groomer.”
Linehan was reportedly dropped from his agent for doing this (he framed the whole incident as “criticizing” Tennant instead of falsely accusing him) but is seemingly yet to face any other consequence. He is seen as somewhat of a pathetic, craven little creature even in TERF circles, so perhaps no one is taking him seriously enough to even remember the matter now.
Tennant on the other hand is going from strength to strength—he has an army of fans, a loving family, and a hugely successful career. Thank you, Tennant, for being an anti-Linehan.
(featured image: Prime Video)
