David Tennant once again stood up for trans kids in the face of bigots

Doctor Who star David Tennant continues to be a vocal ally for the LGBTQ+ community at large, the trans and nonbinary community in particular. While most celebrity allies are content with statements of support, Tennant has gone even further—calling out and getting into public feuds with anti-LGBTQ+ government figures.

Last Friday, the British LGBT Awards honored Tennant with the Celebrity Ally award. In his acceptance speech, Tennant was modest about his deserving of an award for supporting LGBTQ+ rights, which he considers to be “common sense.”

“I’m a little depressed by the fact that acknowledging that everyone has the right to be who they want to be and live their life how they want to live it, as long as they’re not hurting anyone else, should merit any kind of special award or special mention because it’s common sense, isn’t it?” he said.

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“It is human decency. We shouldn’t live in a world where that is worth remarking on.”

At the same time, Tennant recognized the importance of public allyship in the UK at a time when anti-trans culture wars are the ruling party’s main line of attack. In particular, he called out the Tories’ women and equalities minister Kemi Badenoch, who has repeatedly opposed pro-LGBTQ+ policies.

“Until we wake up and Kemi Badenoch doesn’t exist anymore – I don’t wish ill of her, I just wish her to shut up – whilst we do live in this world, I am honored to receive [this award],” he said.

During her tenure, Badenoch has put the brakes on legislation banning conversion therapy, opposed trans inclusive workplace policies, and backed a gender neutral bathroom ban—all in addition to spreading fear and hysteria about trans people.

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In response to Tennant’s speech, Badenoch claimed to be standing up for women and invoked the anti-trans dog whistle of “ideology.” “I will not shut up,” she wrote on X/Twitter. I will not be silenced by men who prioritize  applause from Stonewall over the safety of women and girls. 

“A rich, lefty, white male celebrity so blinded by ideology he can’t see the optics of attacking the only black woman in government by calling publicly for my existence to end.”

But as Zora Neale Hurston once said, “All skinfolk ain’t kinfolk,” especially when they’re happily using their position as “the only black woman in government” to advance the oppression of marginalized groups.

Labour candidate Dawn Butler concurred, writing, “Not all Black women think the same. I agree with David Tennant. That’s it, that’s the tweet.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also waded in, posting on X, “If you’re calling for women to shut up and wishing they didn’t exist, you are the problem.”

But Tennant is not getting further down in the muck with politicians who, by all reports, will be out of a job in the coming general election, and he continues to proudly support the LGBTQ+ community. On Wednesday, he showed up to the opening night of Mean Girls The Musical wearing a nonbinary pin and sporting nail polish.

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