#also the writing decision of rogue not knowing what homophobia is. 10/10 no notes.

[two-entire-bits]

Thinking about the casual genderqueer-ness in Rogue. Like, it's implied that Rogue is a humanoid alien (he refers to Ruby and Emily as humans, and cosplay as an "ancient earth tradition"), and if not, he's at least a human time traveler, it's never explicitly stated (the Doctor only introduces him as an "outer-space bounty hunter"). But either way, when the Doctor asks about the person he lost, he talks about said person without mentioning any gender until the end, when he says "and at the end of that day...I lost them" and it's such a small line but like. To know there's genderqueer people in either the future or other species that have at least some concept of a gender binary (or maybe they don't, but still) means SO MUCH. Like. Either we're still there, or we're not alone in the vastness of space.

Additionally, the Chuldur make a lot of casual references to shapeshifting to another gender. When the Duchess reveals who she is to Lord Barton, he says "I wanted to be her next". The Duchess goes on and on about how much she'd love to be the doctor, and when she goes 'I want to be the doctor. Who wants to fight for the other one" (Rogue), the Chuldur LARPing as Miss Talbot goes "me, me, me". Later when the Duchess is plotting she says "I can be king". And later, Miss Talbot also says 'I want to be [the Doctor], I want it, I want it!" AND at the end, the Duchess "give[s Emily her] full permission [to] become the Doctor". Obviously they couldn't have the character actually switch gender cos of the actors, but just to casually mention that gender fluidity, and that much is just. So important. Just to so blatantly confirm that aliens can and DO have different perceptions of sex and gender and that it's fluid is just. It's so comforting to see that so casually.