Comedian who came out as transgender woman ‘reverts back’ to a man
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.”
