Claiming it wasn't significant would fall under the colloquial usage of the word gaslighting; they're trying to present a false narrative. The claim was that a lot of people were angry that the new doctor was a woman, and based on their comments that was the sole reason. Saying "That’s a pretty unfounded reason that you’re perpetuating as fact there, as the overall left leaning (as I’ve seen it referred) plots of Doctor Who would piss of far more people than those who don’t like the fact that she’s a woman. " is trying to obscure the very real phenomenon of anti-woman rhetoric. I think it's important to remember that a significant contingent of people believed Mrs. Clinton shouldn't be president primarily because she was a woman, and thus "too moody"; this sentiment persists through our culture and was certainly present when the new doctor was revealed.