A comedian who came out as trans last year has changed his mind – and will now be living as a man again.

Will Franken had announced last year that he would be transitioning to female full-time, taking on the name Sarah Franken.

The comic opened up to PinkNews in July after performing for the first time as Sarah – but six months on has ‘reverted’ back to Will.

Writing in the Independent, Franken explained that he had become “utterly bored with the topic of transgenderism” after making the change – and no longer wishes to live as a woman.



He cited a number of issues as his motivation for de-transitioning, including “my exasperation at public abuse, the disarming prospect of no longer attracting females, and a lingering resentment to what I perceived as an oversight of my comedy in favour of the identity politics du jour: transgenderism.

“…Being Sarah was something I underwent in yet another attempt to discover myself. And throughout the process, I discovered I am not a woman.”

In an essay for Beyond the Joke, he added: “I had to admit that living as Sarah incorporated more consistent fear and resentment in my daily life than ever before.

“On my own, away from friends and supporters, I was rarely able to feel completely at ease with the world around me.

“Whether I was being called ‘gay-boy transsexual faggot’ by Asians in East London or whether young female tourists were asking to get their photo with me as if I was the Ronald McDonald clown, rarely did a day go by where I was not molested in some degree by the fickle interference of others.”

Noting the failure of his first announcement to significantly impact his career, the comic added: “I may be the first comedian to transition mid-career. I can also be the first one to revert back mid-career.”