Lewis Hancox

Lewis J. Hancox (born 15 June 1989) is an English graphic novelist, social media personality, and filmmaker. He is the author of the 2022 graphic memoir Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure, about growing up transgender in the 2000s, which was shortlisted for several awards, including the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. He co-founded the documentary film project My Genderation, which has produced work for the BBC and Channel 4. In addition to his film and publishing work, Hancox is known for his online sketch comedy videos on TikTok and YouTube, and has been recognized by news outlets for his contributions to digital media and LGBTQ representation.

Early life Hancox was born on 15 June 1989, assigned female. As a child, Hancox wore boys' clothing, kept a short haircut, preferred to be known by the initials LJ rather than his birth name, and openly identified as a boy. Hancox attended Byrchall High School in Ashton-in-Makerfield as a teenager At the time of appearing on the show, he was working part-time in a gallery whilst living at home with his mother in St Helens. The project produces documentary short films about trans people of various ages. Fisher said that the purpose of the project was to present the experiences of transgender people without shock value or upsetting those being interviewed.

In 2013, whilst in his second year of Bachelor of Arts studies at London South Bank University, It was screened in the London Cinema Museum in May and aired on BBC Three in September of that year.

In 2016, Hancox created the six-episode Channel 4 comedy series Me and My Teen Self, in which Hancox speaks to his teenage self through time travel.

In 2013, Hancox and Fisher were ranked 79th on the Rainbow List, The Independent 's annual list of influential LGBTQ people in the United Kingdom, for their work on My Genderation. In 2014, he was placed 13th in the "30 Under 30 in Digital Media" list published by The Guardian regarding young people in the field of digital media. In 2015, Hancox again appeared on the Rainbow List for his filmmaking, featured in 48th place.

Graphic novels and illustration Hancox wrote the graphic novel-memoir Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure, which was published on 2 June 2022 by Scholastic with book launches at St Helen's Book Stop in St Helens and Pigeon Books in Southsea. The book is a comedy focusing on Hancox's life growing up transgender in St Helens during the 2000s, with St. Hell serving as a contraction of St Helens. The book shows Hancox going back in time to speak to his teenage self, whilst showcasing the confusion and difficulties he was going through at the time.

Hancox draws using an Apple Pencil and iPad, and has listed the Scott Pilgrim series of graphic novels and the works of Edgar Wright as creative influences for his graphic novels. After the book was picked up by Scholastic for publishing, he commented: "...this is the book I wish I'd had [growing up in the early 2000s] to show me I wasn't alone." He explained that "entertaining while incidentally educating is so important to me" and that in writing the memoir, that he sought to "use empathy and get beyond politics and shouting."

Following publication, Hancox was shortlisted out of more than 72,000 nominations for the 2022 National Diversity Awards in the Positive LGBT Role Model category. According to Christian Today, an online petition reportedly received 50,000 signatures calling for the book to be removed from the shortlist. The book was also shortlisted for the 2023 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Memoir and listed in the American Library Association's annual Great Graphic Novels for Teens list for that year. Andy Oliver of Broken Frontier called the book a "raw, witty and occasionally very tender".

Hancox, Fisher and the Trans Publishing Network partnered with Waterstones in 2024 and launched the Trans Pride Book Fest, a one-day festival which was hosted at the Waterstones flagship store in Piccadilly on 27 June. The event featured guests including Charlie Craggs, Laura Kate-Dale, Sophie Labelle, Jamie Raines and the Australian rock band Ocean Grove with panels sponsored by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. The second Trans Pride Book Fest was held on 6 December 2025 in London, and again featured guests, including activist Sabah Choudrey.

From April to May 2025, in collaboration with Lush Cosmetics, artwork designed by Hancox and Fisher was displayed in the windows of all 101 Lush branches across the country, as part of the brand's trans rights and inclusivity campaign. Personal life In 2015, Hancox lived with his girlfriend in Brighton; He has said, "It wasn't that I wanted to be thin, I was trying to get rid of the feminine curves which were appearing." Hancox was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and later turned to weightlifting as a method of changing physical appearance.

At around the age of 18, Hancox learned about transgender identity and the existence of transgender men, and later came out to his parents. He consulted a general practitioner for gender-affirming hormone therapy and was required to live as a man for a year before being prescribed testosterone, which caused him to grow a beard and his voice to deepen. After appearing on My Transsexual Summer, Hancox began a fundraiser for £6,000 for gender-affirming surgery, a privately operated mastectomy and chest reconstruction. As the fundraiser was nearing its goal, Irish comedian Graham Norton donated £1,500 to Hancox, alongside actor Stephen Fry, who tweeted about the fundraiser and donated £100, reaching the £6,000 goal.

In a 2022 interview with Geeks OUT, Hancox said:If I could click my fingers and be born again not trans, would I? There have been times I would've said absolutely [...] But, actually, being trans has given me so many unique experiences. I've learned to turn the hard times into humour and art, which has brought me amazing opportunities. This journey has ultimately led to me achieving my childhood dream as a comic artist. I'm at peace now with the fact that I'm just a guy like any other, but with a different perspective of life.