The Doctor Who star made the comments in his acceptance speech at the British LGBT Awards
BY EMILY O’MULLANE, IMAGES BY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Kemi Badenoch, former Women and Equalities Minister, has told actor David Tennant that he should apologise after criticising her in a speech at the British LGBT awards ceremony.
Tennant, the actor most known for his role as Doctor Who in the BBC TV series of the same name, was awarded the Celebrity Ally Award at the British LGBT Awards ceremony on 21 June. In his acceptance speech, Tennant said that while he didn’t wish Badenoch ill, he did wish she would “shut up”.
“I’m a little depressed that acknowledging 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,” he also added.
The former Women and Equalities Minister has previously proposed changing the 2010 Equality Act to stop trans people from accessing single-sex spaces.
In her initial response to the comments made by Tennant, Badenoch took to X, saying: “I will not shut up. I will not be silenced by men who prioritise 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.”
I will not shut up. I will not be silenced by men who prioritise applause from Stonewall over the safety of women and girls.
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) June 25, 2024
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… https://t.co/caIQOFYnrU
Other politicians and prominent figures have involved themselves in this ongoing debate. JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series who has previously come into controversy for her comments on the trans community, also tweeted about Tennant by saying that he is part of the “Gender Taliban”.
While Labour MP Dawn Butler showed agreement with Tennant in a tweet and later in an article for the Metro, Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party has expressed his disagreement with them both. Commenting on the situation, Starmer said: “In politics, as in life, it’s important that we are able to robustly disagree with others – obviously that happens a lot in the general election campaign. But we should do it with respect for everybody involved in that robust discussion.”
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