The First Female Doctor Who Actually Had to Say These Words About Her Casting Out Loud in 2017

If you haven’t heard by now, the BBC revealed that the next person to play the iconic Doctor in the iconic Doctor Who will, for the first time ever, be a woman! And by “if you haven’t heard by now,” I mean, if you haven’t heard the incessant bawling of Dr. Who nerds mourning the senseless murder of their beloved franchise at the hands of political correctness.

Jodie Whittaker has made history as the first woman to take on the role of the Doctor, replacing Peter Capaldi and becoming the thirteenth version of the Time Lord. And while there has been plenty of positive feedback for Whittaker, predictably, she faced detractors. Whittaker herself has actually and rather graciously reached out to the more unaccepting fans, telling the BBC:

“I want to tell the fans not to be scared by my gender,” said Whittaker. “Because this is a really exciting time, and Doctor Who represents everything that’s exciting about change. The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one.”

We live on a truly insane planet—one where a woman has to tell people, who are very invested some of television’s most imaginative possibilities, not to be scared of a woman. What a world!

While series creator Sydney Newman expressed wanting a female Doctor back in 1986, for some very totally strange reason the Doctor continued to be portrayed by a man. In more recent years, the increasingly popular idea that a woman could be the Doctor was met with all sorts of skepticism and rage (from a former Doctor, among others) largely based on the idea that the previous 12 Doctors have been men.

Whittaker certainly has a lot of responsibility, and likely faces far more pressure than any actor to take on the Doctor before her. But if your biggest issue in 2017 is that Doctor Who has regenerated into a woman, maybe you should take a long look at your life.