Rishi Sunak is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. For now. The beleaguered leader of the Conservative Party called a surprise election a few weeks ago, with the big vote taking place one week from now on July 4.
14 shambolic years in power have very much come home to roost and, if the polls are to be believed, Sunak and his party are facing a near-complete electoral wipeout. Sunak hasn’t exactly helped his prospects, getting drenched while announcing the election, causing widespread disgust by skipping out on the D-Day commemoration service, and failing to act on party members using insider info to make illegal bets.
Well, now he has a new tactic: attacking beloved film and TV icon David Tennant. The Doctor Who star was awarded a prize for being a “celebrity ally” at the British LGBT Awards on June 12. In his acceptance speech, he talked about the current unpleasant climate for trans people in the United Kingdom, as both major political parties contain outspoken transphobes:
“If I’m honest 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? It is human decency. We shouldn’t live in a world where that is worth remarking on.”
Tennant then went into specifics, hitting out at Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch, who has tacitly supported transgender “conversion therapy”, opposes trans people’s right to identify as their preferred gender in the workplace, is on tape mocking trans women as “men”, and is pushing to ban school pupils from any kind of social transition:
“Until we wake up and Kemi Badenoch doesn’t exist any more – 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.”
Badenoch quickly hit back, saying that she “will not be silenced by men who prioritize applause from Stonewall over the safety of women and girls”. And now, seeing what we guess vaguely looks like a bandwagon, Sunak has attacked Tennant:
I don’t know about you, but I am powerfully relaxed and cool with Tennant telling transphobes to shut up. Fortunately, Sunak’s days are almost certainly numbered and, in a week, the British public will unceremoniously boot him out in favor of Keir Starmer’s Labour Party. And, thankfully, that means happy days are ahead for British trans people.
*taps ear* Oh wait, I’m getting a quick correction on that, turns out Keir Starmer just said “No, I’m not in favor of ideology being taught in our schools on gender” and has announced plans to meet with J.K. Rowling to get her input on future government policy around trans people.
Ah, Hell Island. You never disappoint… Can’t we just put Tennant in charge?