Vanessa, previously known as Vincent, was a friend of Jack Harkness. According to Jack, Vanessa was once a "regular guy", who had a girlfriend and liked sport and beer. Jack told Toshiko that his friend disappeared for a couple of months after seeming "distracted", and upon return asked to be called Vanessa. "Since then, [Jack had] always been a little nervous when a friend behave[d] out of character." (TV: Greeks Bearing Gifts)
Behind the scenes
In the real world, Vanessa would likely consider herself transgender, and use she/her pronouns, in line with her gender identity. Yet the fact that writer Toby Whithouse has Jack use he/him pronouns in his anecdote suggests to some fans — especially when evaluated against some scenes in other Whithouse scripts — a level of transphobia in the writer's DWU output.[1][2]
Footnotes
- ↑ "Michelle Kerry" (27 January 2015). Little Boxes Will Make You Angry: Doctor Who and Transphobia. Doctor Who TV. Retrieved on 9 December 2015.
- ↑ STFU Moffat haters (via Queer as in F*ck You) (15 September 2012). Wait, why do you dislike Toby Whithouse? I mean,.... Tumblr. Retrieved on 9 December 2015.