Regeneration and trans possibility in Doctor Who

Authors

  • Damien Hagen University of Maryland, College Park

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2023.2281

Keywords:

Fandom, Liminality, Regeneration, Trans imaginary, Transgender studies

Abstract

In the long-running BBC series Doctor Who (2005–), the iconic character of the Doctor is able to avoid death through a process of regeneration. Long before the ability of the Doctor to change gender during regeneration was made canonical by the casting of Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, transgender fans had interpreted the Doctor's regenerations through a trans imaginary. Trans fans of Doctor Who have been drawn to the series by its heavy thematic utilization of movement, change, liminality, and transformation. Trans fans of Doctor Who have utilized the series as a tool for imagining trans possibility, self-exploration, and viewing gender affirmation and euphoria as possible. The series offers trans fans a way of being in which transformation can be not only possible but lifesaving.

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Published

2023-03-13

Issue

Vol. 39 (2023): Trans Fandom

Section

Article

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Damien Hagen

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