15th Doctor Isn’t the First Queer Doctor Who Character, Here Are 8 More

After the latest episode of Doctor Who, viewers were happy to celebrate yet another nod to the show’s diversity. The 15th Doctor, portrayed by Ncuti Gatwa, shared a kiss with Rogue, portrayed by Jonathan Groff.

And while fans of the show were immediately taken with the couple, it would have been wrong to assume that this was the first time Doctor Who celebrated LGBTQ+ people and offered representation through its characters… human or otherwise. Here are 8 more queer characters who have appeared in the Doctor Who universe before.

Captain Jack Harkness

Portrayed by John Barrowman, this charismatic character not only won the hearts of many viewers during his Doctor Who appearances, but also had his own spin-off, Torchwood. He was funny, extremely good with all kinds of weapons, and very quick with his words, flirting with anyone who came his way.

One of the most iconic moments of the first series of New Who was when Captain Jack kissed the 9th Doctor’s companion Rose, and then kissed the Doctor himself with just as much passion.

 

Madame Vastra & Jenny Flint

These two ladies aren’t your typical couple, but they love each other with the same passion. With Madame Vastra, a Silurian detective, always busy with new cases of criminals across the galaxy, Jenny Flint, a human who started out as her maid, has become the Watson to Vastra’s Sherlock and her wife.

The two have made several appearances during Steven Moffat’s reign, each time being of great help to the Doctor and the TARDIS crew.

River Song

The Doctor’s wife and badass archaeologist River Song has also been confirmed to fall for women as well as men. In her reunion with the 12th Doctor in the Christmas special, The Husbands of River Song, the Doctor was furious about her side marriages, but also pointed out that she had a wife among her husbands.

It turned out that both the Doctor and River had their flings with Cleopatra. At least their tastes were similar enough to get over it.

 

Clara Oswald (and Oswin Oswald too!)

Clara has been one of the most controversial companions in the recent history of Doctor Who. However, her romantic preferences had nothing to do with it. At one point, she casually mentioned Jane Austen as not only a great inspiration and role model, but also a phenomenal kisser, indicating her interest in other women.

Also, the first version of Clara we saw, Oswin Oswald, transplanted into Dalek, mentioned a girl she fell in love with, Nina. And even though she denied those feelings, it was pretty obvious that Nina meant a lot to her.

Bill Potts

Sadly for all Doctor Who fans, Bill Potts is one of the Doctor’s companions whose journey ended abruptly and in tragedy.

She was smart and quick to see the best in people and situations around her, and she was the first Black lesbian companion of the series, marking a very important milestone. Too bad her story ended with her love interest Heather turning her into starship fuel. A fate only slightly better than ending up as a Cyberman.

 

The 13th Doctor & Yaz Khan

There were many viewers who felt the spark between the 13th Doctor, the first played by a woman, Jodie Whittaker, and her companion, the second open lesbian to enter the TARDIS, Yaz Khan.

As it turned out, they were right, as the couple had a conversation about their feelings and all the complications that come with the Doctor getting close to their companions. Still carrying memories of what happened to Rose with the 10th iteration of the Doctor, the 13th was too reluctant to give it a go, but the feelings were obviously there.