Doctor Who

Recently, rumors rippled across the Internet that actor Matt Smith, who plays the eleventh Doctor on the long-running BBC series Doctor Who, would be leaving the show. Nothing has been confirmed, but when stories like this pop up on blogs, there’s a flurry in the comments sections about what actor would be the best next Doctor in the beloved series. Rupert Grint, Benedict Cumberbatch, or Andrew Garfield? Meh. Idris Elba? Yes, please! Helen Mirren or Tilda Swinton? That would be incredible!

But while many Doctor Who fans agree that it’s about time for a woman Doctor, some do not. 

Good morning! Today is a big day for marriage equality. So much to read!

• The Supreme Court is taking up the case of marriage equality and it's entirely unclear what they'll decide. Feministing breaks down the arguments in the court against marriage equality so far and Mother Jones lists out the seven worst things Justice Scalia has ever said about queer folks. [New York Times, Feministing, Mother Jones]

• Which politicians came around to same-sex marriage and when? A helpful timeline. [Mother Jones]

• Here's one convert: Apparently Bill O'Reilly is now "fine" with same-sex marriage. [Towlerod] 

• Marriage equaity has been a long time coming: Check out this video of a 1971 protest at New York City's marriage bureau. [Atltantic]

• The Doctor Who series doesn't have any female writers—what's wrong with the gender balance in Hollywood? [Guardian]

• "I deserve to be naked if I want to": Margaret Cho has a great piece on being told her body is disturbing others in a Korean bath house. [Jezebel] 

• A Canandian HPV awareness campaign includes an angle that women should get vaccinated in case someone rapes them. [Gender Focus] 

• Today in small victories: The creators of a Kickstarter campaign to create a manga about "the world's best ho" apologized and cancelled their project. [Kickstarter] 

• Today Show anchor Jenna Wolf has come out as gay, just in time to announce that she and her partner are having a baby. [Queerty]

• And finally: Imaginging the rejection letters from publishing houses for classic Victorian novels. [The Rumpus]  

What did I miss? Add what you're reading to the comments.

One could write an entire book about the depictions of queerness in the world of Doctor Who and its spin-off, Torchwood. Sexuality works itself into the mythologies of both shows in complex ways, which is particularly interesting given that Doctor Who is considered a family-oriented show. But since I’m not writing a book, I want to focus today’s discussion of Doctor Who and Torchwood specifically on the character who introduced queerness to the modern “Whoniverse”: Captain Jack Harkness.

Working with early synths, tape loops and found sounds, Delia Derbyshire created unique, groundbreaking music through the '60s and early '70s. In her hands, anything could be musical, and it frequently was.

Read on for more.