David Tennant says trans Tardis badge, and supporting queer people, is ‘what Doctor Who is all about’

David Tennant proved himself the ultimate trans ally once again after rejoicing at the news that his trans-themed TARDIS badge led to thousands of pounds being raised for an LGBTQ+ charity.

The Doctor Who star has long been a vocal supporter of trans rights, from wearing iconic pro-trans t-shirts to standing up for the fight for LGBTQ+ rights.

In his latest show of solidarity, the 52-year-old actor was spotted wearing a TARDIS pin with the trans flag colours while appearing on The Last Leg and The One Show on 17 November. He was promoting his upcoming return as the Doctor for the trio of specials celebrating the Doctor Who 60th anniversary.

After eagle-eyed fans spotted the progressive badge, they flocked to social media to praise Tennant and to find out where they could also get hold of the Tardis pin.

Soon enough the creator of the badge, Dr Jamie Gallagher, announced on social media that all proceeds from the badge would be donated to LGBTQ+ homeless charity Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT), totalling at a whopping £18,000 (and counting).

During the Rolling Stone UK Awards on Thursday (23 November) Attitude magazine asked for Tennant’s reaction to the brilliant news, prompting the best response.

“That’s amazing,” he shared, before playing his down his involvement in helping to raise money.

“That’s really to do with the guy that makes it, he added.

“I can’t take any credit for that. It’s just something that I think is rather lovely and important and suits what Doctor Who is all about. So it feels that the fact that relevant charities are benefitting from it is something that I’m hugely pleased about but can’t take any of the credit for.”

His decision to wear a trans TARDIS badge comes after he caused a stir for donning a “Leave trans kids along you absolute freaks” top, which led to outrage and attacks from anti-trans activists such as Graham Linehan and Posie Parker.

While his wife, Georgia Tennant, made a loud and proud statement in support of trans rights in October after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak launched an attack on the community.

The star is certainly accurate when he says that supporting trans rights fits right into the ethos of Doctor Who. The new episodes – helmed by returning showrunner Russell T Davies – feature several trans actors including Yasmin Finney, Jinkx Monsoon, Mary Malone and Pete MacHale.

The 60th anniversary specials promise to put trans acceptance at the heart of the episodes, with Finney playing Donna’s (Catherine Tate) trans daughter Rose.

During a Q&A earlier this month, Davies eviscerated bigots looking to undermine the trans inclusivity in the upcoming season.

He admitted there are some people who are “full of absolute hate, and venom, and destruction and violence who would like to see that sort of thing wiped off the screen entirely.”

To those people, he said: “Shame on you and good luck to you in your lonely lives.”

Doctor Who returns on Saturday, 25 November with “The Star Beast” on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. IT streams on Disney+ globally.