Lonely Lindsey Graham died tethered to the man who humiliated him

Updated: Lindsey Graham, Trump ally who opposed LGBTQ+ rights and consistently denied being gay, dies at 71Lindsey Graham died Saturday at 71, and I have to be honest with you: in the eight years of writing for this outlet, I don't think I've written about anyone more than I've written about him — except, of course, Donald Trump.And I'll be upfront about something else. Those columns were never kind, and they were never dull, because Graham was reliably good for a click. Lots of them. Every time his name went in a headline, readers showed up in droves, and the comment sections read like a dime novel. I've thought a lot over the years about why that was, and I think there were three reasons.Related: Lindsey Graham Clicks Up His Heels at Mar-a-LagoThe first is the oldest rumor in Washington: that Lindsey Graham was gay. I want to be careful here, because I have no idea whether that was true. He was, in the old-fashioned phrase, a "confirmed bachelor,” who never married, never seriously linked to a woman in public life, and that vacuum was enough for people to fill in the blank themselves. I'm not going to pretend I know what was true in Graham’s private life. But I will offer my personal opinion. My grandfather used to say, “Where there’s fire, there’s smoke,” reversing an old axiom when he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that a rumor about someone was true.That’s what I’ll say about Graham. He always denied it, but I always snickered when he did.Related: 'Never Seen a Vagina': Lindsey Graham’s Sexuality Is a JokeIn June 2020, “Lady G" trended on social media after adult film performer Sean Harding alleged that Graham hired male sex workers. And in September of 2024, far-right provocateur and lunatic Laura Loomer publicly urged Graham to come out of the closet, after he publicly criticized Donald Trump's campaign style.Related: Trump ally Laura Loomer goes after Lindsey Graham: ‘We all know you’re gay’The second reason is simpler and requ