Trans woman alleges paid sexual encounter with Lindsey Graham after his death
Taylor Snider, a former sex worker, made the claims during an interview with Uncloseted Media, published this week
By Callum Wells
A trans woman has alleged that she had a paid sexual encounter with the late US senator Lindsey Graham, saying she decided to speak publicly only after his death because she no longer feared retaliation.
Taylor Snider, a former sex worker, made the claims during an interview with Uncloseted Media, published this week. Throughout the interview, Snider alleged she met the South Carolina Republican while working in Washington, D.C. in 2015, after advertising her services online.
According to Snider, the encounter took place at the Washington Hilton after Graham allegedly contacted her using a Google Voice number. She claimed the meeting lasted around half an hour, describing it as “very normal” and saying nothing initially stood out about the client. “Everything was really normal to me,” she said. “It was very standard, nothing stood out.”
Taylor Snider said she first attempted to tell her story in 2020
Snider alleged Graham paid her $400 (£297) in cash before leaving.
She said she did not initially realise the client was Graham until seeing him on television around a week later. She said she initially kept the alleged encounter private because “I very much value discretion and keeping things professional.”
However, she said her view changed as she became more familiar with Graham’s political record, describing him as “a really big hypocrite” because of his support for anti-LGBTQ policies.
In the interview, Snider said she first attempted to tell her story in 2020, when allegations involving Graham and male sex workers were circulating online. She claimed she was preparing to speak publicly before receiving an anonymous phone call warning her: “If you move forward with your story, watch your back.”
“Where the line in the sand is drawn is when you are actively working to push anti-LGBT legislation” – Snider on Lindsey Graham’s political stance
Snider also believes the alleged threat was linked to her plans to discuss Graham publicly, although she did not provide evidence identifying who made the call.
Asked why she had chosen to speak now, Snider said the issue was “about accountability” rather than exposing someone’s sexuality.
“I’m over entertaining these down-low conservative people,” she told the outlet. “You’re gonna want to lay in bed with me in private, but then vote against my rights in public? Make it make sense. Nobody cares what your preferences are… Where the line in the sand is drawn is when you are actively working to push anti-LGBT legislation when you’re over in private on your hands and knees with us.”
Throughout his career, Graham opposed same-sex marriage and and backed measures restricting transgender rights
Snider went on to claim she had other “sitting members of Congress” as clients, but declined to identify them.
“I’m not ever going to out them,” she said, adding that Graham was “the leader of the circus” because of his record on LGBTQ+ issues. “When it comes to oppressing a people, Senator Lindsey Graham takes the cake.”
Graham served in the US Senate for more than two decades and was one of Donald Trump‘s closest political allies. Throughout his career, he opposed same-sex marriage and backed measures restricting transgender rights.
Attitude has contacted Lindsey Graham’s office for comment.