Doctor Who legend David Tennant wears trans ally ‘Protect The Dolls’ shirt on stage in Edinburgh

Doctor Who and Rivals star David Tennant has said “trans rights” yet again by appearing on stage in Edinburgh wearing a “Protect The Dolls” T-shirt.

David Tennant wore the shirt at the “An Evening With… David Tennant” event, which was held at the Lyceum Theatre on 1 December to raise money for the venue. The actor, who played the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, reflected on how he made a number of appearances at the Lyceum early in his career.

The phrase “Protect The Dolls” has been around for some time now, in fact, the term ‘dolls’ has existed within the LGBTQ+ community for decades, typically used as an informal descriptor for trans women or transfeminine non-binary people: it first emerged as part of 1980s Ballroom culture.

However, the term’s usage has skyrocketed in recent months after The Last of Us actor, Pedro Pascal, was snapped wearing a “Protect The Dolls” T-shirt in April. The tee was designed by Conner Ives, and sells for $75: proceeds from the sale of each shirt go to raise money for Trans Lifeline, a trans-led US- based charity.

David Tennant took to the stage in what appeared to be the same T-shirt on 1 December, but it’s definitely not the first time the actor has been seen sporting clothes and accessories that support trans rights.

In the lead up to the Doctor Who 60th anniversary in 2023, he appeared on The One Show and The Last Leg, where the Scottish actor was spotted wearing a trans flag themed TARDIS badge as a small act of solidarity with the trans community.

Also in 2023, Tennant took his pro-trans message one step further during the press run for Good Omens season two. In a viral image, fans caught a glimpse of him sporting a black T-shirt with a crystal clear pink hued slogan emblazoned on top. “Leave trans kids alone, you absolute freaks.”

David Tennant was also praised for wearing a non-binary pin to the opening night of Mean Girls The Musical in 2024, following his public beef with government ministers, including Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, over trans rights.

Later in June 2024, David Tennant wore a trans-rights t-shirt to one of his children’s school Pride celebrations.

The shirt, which featured the colours of the trans flag, bore the phrase “you will have to go through me”. Stevie Brocksom, who runs the website and clothing store, Stevie’s Safe Spaces, subsequently revealed that sales of the T-shirt, which help fund a scholarship for trans students in Ontario, Canada, rocketed.

During the Q&A at the Lyceum, Tennant discussed cuts to arts funding and admitted he found it a “precarious” industry to be involved in, the Herald reported.

He said: “The pipeline for so many people in our industry starts in the subsidised arts and they are not subsidised like they once were…. That’s all gone and that just means there are fewer opportunities, which means it’s much more difficult to come through.”

He added: “If you’re not looking after the pipeline, then you’re not going to have the people that become the next Olivia Coleman or Sam Mendes, because they all started in subsidised theatre, and it’s what we do so well.”

You can watch the two-hour Q&A in full here.