Voted yes
Votes for the Defense of Marriage Act
The federal ban on same-sex marriage. Years later he bragged about defending it in court.
A Swamp Watch documentary
The LindseyGraham Files
For thirty years Lindsey Graham voted against gay rights and insisted he wasn’t gay. Three men say he paid them for sex. One of them says he was 17.
The documentary
The Closetocracy
Cory, Jesse, and Kelvin tell their stories on camera, alongside thirty years of Graham’s own words and votes.
The men
“I had sex
with Lindsey.”
They’ve never met each other, and they describe the same man.
Cory
“I’m Cory, and I had sex with Senator Lindsey Graham.”
The Mayflower Hotel, Washington, 2015. Says he was paid $1,500. 5 documents in the file.
Jesse
“I am Jesse, and I had sex with Lindsey Graham.”
The Beacon and a Days Inn, Washington, 2012 and 2014. Says he was paid $510. 12 documents in the file.
Kelvin
“My name is Kelvin. I had sex with Lindsey Graham when I was 17.”
Arizona, 2001. Says he was paid $120. 7 documents in the file.
He spent more than thirty years in Congress. The record below holds eight of his votes and statements against gay rights. Three men say he paid them for sex, and that he left $2,130 in cash behind.
1996 to 2026
What he said,
and what they say
Scroll through thirty years, or press play.
His votes and wordsWhat the men say happened
-
File I of II
The Closet
For decades he voted against gay rights. Three men say that during those same years he was paying them for sex.
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His vote01/08 -
Kelvin says 
AZ1 · July 14, 2001$120,Kelvin says he was paid“You’re 17, aren’t you?”
Kelvin was 17 and advertising as an adult in Mesa, Arizona. He says Graham checked his ID, saw his age, and said “Let’s continue this.” $120, left on a rafter.
The Arizona Republic puts Graham at McCain’s July 4 party near Sedona. The escort site listed Kelvin at 18 and 19.
7 receiptsSee the documentsSources
The Lindsey Graham Files, on camera · Arizona Republic, July 14, 2001, A1-A2 · Star-Gazette, July 15, 2001 · Archived escort listing, 2001 (link withheld) -
His vote02/08 Voted to advance“I believe marriage should be between one man and one woman.”
Votes to advance a constitutional ban on gay marriage
Source
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He said03/08 “Traditional marriage is now under attack.”
Pushes the amendment again
Source
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He said “Right, right.”
Asked about the rumors, he brushes it off
A reporter asks him about the rumors that he’s gay, and he keeps walking.
Source
-
He said “I ain’t available. I ain’t gay. Sorry.”
New York Times Magazine.
Source
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His vote04/08 Voted noVotes against letting gay troops serve openly
The vote was on repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which he called “a serious mistake.”
Sources
-
Jesse says J1 · Oct 3-5, 2012J11 · Oct 3, 2012$260Jesse says he was paidThe Beacon Hotel, $260
Jesse was an NYU student. “He did not tell me that his name was Lindsey Graham. I recognized him in person.”
His Amtrak ticket: DC, Oct 3 to 5. Graham was a named host of a Capitol Hill lunch on Oct 3.
6 receiptsSee the documentsSources
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He said05/08 “I have been a strong supporter of the Defense of Marriage Act.”
Mourns the end of DOMA
Source
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His vote06/08 Voted noVotes to keep it legal to fire people for being gay
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act passes 64 to 32. He votes no.
Source
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Jesse says J4 · Jan 27 & 31, 2014J5 · Jan 28, 2014$250,Jesse says he was paidThe Days Inn: “Nice to see you again.”
The same man books him again. This time it’s $250, paid in five $50 bills.
His bus tickets: DC, Jan 27 to 31. Senate records put Graham in DC on the 28th, 29th and 30th.
5 receiptsSee the documentsSources
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He said07/08 “I am a proud defender of traditional marriage.”
The day same-sex marriage becomes legal
He put this out the day the Supreme Court ruled, while he was running for president.
Sources
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Cory says 
C5 · Nov 9, 2015$1,500Cory says he was paidThe Mayflower, $1,500: “I needed that.”
A go-between booked Cory for a “client” at the Mayflower. $1,500 in cash on the dresser. Weeks later he saw the man on TV, running for president.
His Lyft into DC, Nov 9, 1:17 PM. Graham voted in DC at 5:30. The cash photo, Nov 11.
5 receiptsSee the documentsSources
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He said “To the extent that it matters, I’m not gay.”
TMZ, on National Coming Out Day.
Source
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File II of II
The Voices
The men spoke up for years and were mostly ignored. Now they’re on camera.
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Cory says “Every sex worker I know has been hired by this man.”
Cory posted this on Twitter. A friend he worked with had just named Graham too, and a Black Lives Matter rally in Chicago pushed him to speak up about a senator passing laws that hurt gay people. The tweet was the number one trending topic on Twitter for seven days. Then lawyers and investigators started leaving cards at his door, and he spent four months shut in his apartment.
Source
The Lindsey Graham Files, on camera -
His vote08/08 Voted noVotes against the Respect for Marriage Act
The bill writes protection for same-sex marriage into federal law. He votes no.
Sources
Out · Archival footage in the film -
Jesse says J10 · Aug 15, 2025“Graham sucks in bed.”
Posted from an account Jesse says is his. He says The New Yorker killed his story at the last minute.
1 receiptSee the documentsSources
The Lindsey Graham Files, on camera · X post screenshot -
He said Asked if he’s gay, he keeps walking
“Why don’t you just admit that you’re gay?” He doesn’t answer.
Source
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October 2026
In their own words
Cory, Jesse, and Kelvin go on camera
Cory“I’m Cory, and I had sex with Senator Lindsey Graham.” Jesse“I am Jesse, and I had sex with Lindsey Graham.” Kelvin“My name is Kelvin. I had sex with Lindsey Graham when I was 17.”
Documents
You don’t have to
take their word for it
Train and bus tickets, a ride receipt, newspaper pages, and Senate records. Tap any of them to read it in full.
Kelvin
Arizona, 20017 documentsThe Arizona Republic, front page
The line that names Graham
Page A2: the full continuation
The same report, reprinted
Lieberman remembers the July 4 parties
His office history, officially
“Ryan, Phoenix”: the ages he advertised
Jesse
The Beacon and a Days Inn, Washington, 2012 and 201412 documentsAmtrak: New York to Washington
Graham on the invitation, same week
The campaign’s Washington schedule
Named as a host, days before
Reported the same day
The event records, archived
Megabus there and back
Graham on the hearing roster
A press conference after the hearing
The State of the Union date
Two more votes in Washington
Said in public, a year before the film
Cory
The Mayflower Hotel, Washington, 20155 documents“Visiting DC Nov. 9-12”
Lyft: Reagan National to the Washington Plaza
The note on the nightstand
Graham votes in Washington
The cash
These come from the film’s evidence packet. We removed names and private details and added the red marks. The records show where everyone was. What happened in the room is the men’s account.
Why it matters
For thirty years he voted on the lives of gay Americans. According to these three men, he was living one.
When the people writing the rules live by different ones, everyone else pays for it. Their accounts, and the paper trail behind them, are now part of the record.
Graham died July 11, 2026. His sister, Darline, is now running to continue his legacy in the U.S. Senate. AP