FOLLOW US

The now disgraced former Biden official's family is going public. And pushing back on a decade of the Sam Brinton claims of childhood abuse. Brinton’s younger sister, Rachel Brinton, told The New York Post that the family has experienced death threats and harassment for years.

According to Rachel, the family was Southern Baptists, but her parents were never violent towards Sam. And none of their three children were ever abused.

Sam Brinton, 35, identifies as genderfluid and uses them/they pronouns.

Non-binary Sam Brinton called themselves a "survivor" of conversion therapy where they were tortured. Brinton was the first person to testify before the United Nations Convention against Torture about the experience in 2014.

Sam Brinton claims made a career

The Former Biden Department of Energy official Sam Brinton claims to have suffered beatings by their father. They also said they were threatened with a gun to their head. And also forced to go into conversion therapy.

"I’m in this constant state of fear," Brinton previously insisted. "My dad has held a gun up to my head multiple times."

Brinton also claimed they were continuously hit. And were sent to the emergency room at least seven times after coming out to their family at 11 years old. They also claimed they had been electrocuted and tortured with needles in conversion therapy.

In 2015, Brinton was co-chair of the National Center for Lesbian Rights' #BornPerfect campaign. And they were one of three grand marshals of the 2015 Boston Pride Parade.

Brinton also started the 2016 #50Bills50States campaign to prohibit the "pseudoscientific" practice of conversion therapy throughout the U.S.

Because he was an outspoken activist, Brinton, was hired by the Biden administration in January 2022.

Their story of overcoming abuse and prejudice gave their political career the clout that helped them to be tapped by the White House.

With little or no experience, they were appointed to a high-level job as deputy assistant secretary of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition in the Office of Nuclear Energy.

Fall from grace

Brinton was charged with the theft of a $2,325 bag at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport on Sept. 16.

Republicans sent a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm calling for their removal from the DOE on December 6. But it was only after the Las Vegas police charged Brinton with a July airport theft that they lost their job. 

There is video evidence of both alleged thefts. Brinton could face up to 5 years in prison in Minnesota for theft. And a maximum of 10 years in the separate case in Las Vegas.

The Brinton family speaks out

They are denying all of Sam Brinton's claims.

"There’s no validity to those claims," Rachel explained. “First of all, the claims of conversion therapy never happened, nor did my parents abuse of my brother or I."

"My parents and I have always known the truth, but we don’t preach to people what the truth is. It’s disheartening because my parents are still being slandered for the past decade because some people believed Samuel’s words.”

The Brinton family has denied all the accusations. And says there are no police or hospital records because there was no abuse.

Brinton's mother, Peggy Jo, also released a New York Times op-ed where she claims there was never conversion therapy. And claims they "did not abuse" Brinton.

She also wrote if they'd "been in an emergency room at any time, there would be records … and there are none."

The Perry, Iowa Police Department says their records go back to 1994. And there are no records of any child or domestic abuse disputes connected to the Brinton family.

Members of the LGBTQ community are saddened by the news. They fear that the Sam Brinton case may cause people to doubt when a trans or queer person is abused. And there is plenty of documented abuse against trans people.