WASHINGTON — A newly released documentary is leveling explosive allegations against the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, claiming the longtime Republican lawmaker paid three male escorts for sex over a span of more than a decade, with one man asserting he was only 17 years old at the time of the encounter.
The film, titled The Closetocracy and produced by Swamp Watch in collaboration with The Young Turks, dropped Thursday and features on-camera interviews with the three men. It directly contrasts the alleged private conduct with Graham’s decades-long voting record opposing same-sex marriage, transgender policies, and other LGBTQ-related measures while he publicly presented himself as a traditional conservative.
Graham, a four-term senator from South Carolina and close ally of President Donald Trump, died suddenly on July 11, 2026, at age 71 from an aortic dissection shortly after returning from what was at least his 10th trip to Ukraine. His sister, Darline Graham Nordone, was appointed to fill his seat and is now facing voters in a competitive race.
The Allegations
According to the documentary, the men, identified as Kelvin, Jesse, and Cory, describe separate paid encounters between 2001 and 2015. Producers claim travel records and Senate schedules align with the alleged meetings, though independent verification remains absent and the claims are unverified.
Kelvin alleges the earliest encounter occurred in 2001 in Mesa, Arizona, when he was 17. He says he was advertising online as an adult, but that Graham checked his ID, saw his age, and proceeded anyway, paying him $120. “Being a powerless 17-year-old, I was like, what’s going on here?” Kelvin states in the film. “Something is going to happen that I’m not going to be in control of.”
Jesse claims encounters in Washington, D.C., in 2012 at the Beacon Hotel (for $260) and in 2014 at a Days Inn (for $250). Cory, an adult film performer also known as Sean Harding, alleges a $1,500 overnight meeting at the Mayflower Hotel in November 2015 arranged through an intermediary. Cory previously posted about the claims on social media in 2020 under the “Lady G” nickname that had circulated in certain circles, before saying he faced legal pressure and threats.
The film includes graphic details from the men about the alleged encounters, including claims that Graham preferred certain roles and that some meetings may have been recorded.
Graham had long been the subject of private rumors about his personal life, which he denied. In 2018, responding to public insinuations, he told TMZ, “To the extent that it matters, I’m not gay.”
The timing of the documentary’s release, just months after Graham’s death and weeks before his sister’s Senate race, has fueled online speculation. Some commentators have revived questions about the motivations behind Graham’s intense advocacy for Ukraine, including his repeated taxpayer-funded trips to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky and his push for tough Russia sanctions legislation that was later named in his honor. Graham had just returned from Kyiv the day before he died.
Graham’s office and family have not issued a detailed response to the latest claims. His sister previously declined to engage with similar questions in footage included in the documentary.
The allegations remain unproven and rest on the accounts of the three men. No criminal charges were ever filed, and Graham is no longer alive to respond. Critics of the documentary note that similar rumors have circulated for years without independent corroboration, while supporters of the film say the on-camera testimonies and circumstantial timeline evidence deserve scrutiny given Graham’s public record.
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