Lindsey Graham opposed LGBTQ+ rights. Three men say he paid them for sex

Three sex workers allege in a documentary released Thursday that the late Sen. Lindsey Graham paid them for sex, including one who says he was 17 and that Graham questioned his age before continuing the encounter.Among the participants is Cory Burns, an adult film performer known professionally as Sean Harding. His 2020 social media posts helped propel the “Lady G” allegations into public view, drawing attention to claims that Graham hired male escorts while opposing LGBTQ+ rights.“The CLOSETocracy,” released by The Young Turks and Swamp Watch Studios, presents the accounts alongside Graham’s legislative record. Participants accuse him of privately seeking sexual encounters with people whose rights he opposed in public office.The Advocate, which has not independently verified the documentary’s allegations, contacted Sen. Darline Graham’s office for comment about her brother and also reached out to Burns. Lindsey Graham, who died July 11 at 71, publicly denied being gay during his lifetime.Neither Darline Graham nor Burns responded.Andrew Kolvet, a Turning Point USA spokesman and executive producer of The Charlie Kirk Show, dismissed the documentary’s political significance in a Thursday post on X. “This is why we called him Lady Graham. This isn’t an October surprise, we’ve known this for years,” he wrote. Kolvet argued that blaming Graham’s sister would backfire, adding, “No one cares.”' Related: In a viral post, transgender author alleges anti-LGBTQ+ senator Lindsey Graham hired her for sex workFrom “Lady G” posts to an on-camera accountOn June 4, 2020, Burns, posting under his stage name, alleged that an unnamed Republican senator hired male sex workers while supporting legislation harmful to LGBTQ+ people. He used the initials “LG,” encouraged other sex workers to come forward, and retweeted posts naming Graham.Within days, “Lady G” and “Lady Graham” were circulating widely online. News reports described “Lady G”