‘Doctor Who’ Showrunner Russell T. Davies Says Gay Society is in ‘The Greatest Danger I’ve Ever Seen”

Donald Trump’s hate speech rhetoric against the LGBTQ+ community is certainly emboldening further hate speech in the United States, but does that hatred make its way overseas? Apparently, it does. Openly gay and U.K.-based Doctor Who showrunner and creator of Queer as Folk, Russell T. Davies, told The Guardian last week that he thinks gay society is in “the greatest danger I’ve ever seen.” Speaking at the Gaydio Pride awards in Manchester, U.K. on Friday, the Doctor Who chief said that the effects of Trump’s rhetoric aren’t limited to the US borders, it ““is here (in the U.K.) now.”

“As a gay man, I feel like a wave of anger, and violence, and resentment is heading towards us on a vast scale,” says Davies. “I’ve literally seen a difference in the way I’m spoken to as a gay man since that November election, and that’s a few months of weaponizing hate speech, and the hate speech creeps into the real world.”

Davies has been a champion of LGBTQ+ rights in the media he creates, not the least of which is the influence he’s had on Doctor Who, which has consistently championed gay rights and normalization since the series returned under Davies. Recently, Davies took the reins of the show again and started working to add more trans characters and trans-related themes in addition to the continued LGB advocacy and normalization. As a die-hard Doctor Who fan, I know I have taken issue with his writing at times, but I have no doubt that he’s one of the greatest advocates for the entire LGBTQ+ community in all of British media.

“I’m not being alarmist,” he added towards the end. “I’m 61 years old. I know gay society very, very well, and I think we’re in the greatest danger I have ever seen.”

That’s a chilling warning to think that even rich, cis, gay men in other countries are worried about the danger of Trump’s rhetoric since his second election in November. That it can reverberate that far is horrifying, and just goes to show how terrifying the situation must be to those who don’t have some of the privileges Davies has. Yet, I still believe in the words of The Doctor from Doctor Who: “There is surprisingly, always hope.” I think people like Davies are part of that hope. We need to normalize queer media and stay as visible as possible in the public light. The best way to counter hate speech is to make it clear that they’re wrong.

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