Senator Graham Tied To Alleged “Gay Sex Planation” In Rural Virginia
Lawsuit Asserts That The Senior Senator From South Carolina Paid To Be Treated Like A Gay Plantation Owner But Failed To Pay Overtime To Sex Workers.
By KRISTINA NGU, MATT HUSSFORD, ALEXIS SHAWNEE, LEEZEL TANGLO and DEAN SCHABNERBERG
Published January 5, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Political shockwaves have hit the state of South Carolina and the U.S. capital as a sex scandal threatens the career of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham. According to a lawsuit filed in federal court by Jamaican-native Rolando Michaels-George, he and dozens of other individuals of African-descent were hired to act as make believe sex slaves on a “gay sex plantation.” The lawsuit alleges that the plaintiff is owed over $25,000 in overtime pay under Virginia law.
Rumors had been swirling for weeks of a sex scandal involving Sen. Graham, but few Washington insiders expected anything as salacious as what is described in the suit. The plaintiff does not allege that he was subjected to any physical maltreatment or held against his will. Instead, he alleges that he was an employee compensated on an hourly basis and was unlawfully withheld overtime pay. The lawsuit could trigger similar lawsuits by other sex workers at the gay sex plantation.
In the filing obtained Sunday evening, Michaels-George asserts that Sen. Graham participated in a “collective” of wealthy and powerful men who rented a restored plantation located 15 miles north Danville, Virginia called the Marleigh Plantation. The men hired at least “20 male sex workers of African descent” to dress and act as plantation slaves. They were paid $200 per hour for this service. The suit alleges that because the sex workers slept on the premises, they worked longer than eight hours per day. This would mean that they should be paid 1.75 their normal pay rate for these hours.
The senator has had a long-held interest in the unfortunate aspects of the history of this great state.”
A spokesperson for Sen. Graham’s office denied that the senior senator was aware of sexual activity at the plantation. “The senator has had a long-held interest in the unfortunate aspects of the history of this great state,” said Patricia Lynn-Carney, Sen. Graham’s chief Senate aide for public outreach. “He believed that he was helping support a simulation of a working plantation and is unaware of any sexual activity at the plantation.” Sen. Graham’s attorneys did not respond to telephone calls, but in a recent court filing they alleged that the “actors portraying slaves” were provided “free room and board” and were not working in the evening hours.
Santa Marino College School of Law professor Angela Stein-Akbarhi said that Sen. Graham’s alleged infraction is a common one. “Wage and hour claims have been increasing because many smaller employers make technical errors or may intentionally try to shortchange employees,” she said. Prof. Stein-Akbarhi believes that Sen. Graham’s group will have an “uphill” fight trying to exclude hours the sex workers were sleeping. “If they are sleeping in the slave quarters, they are still technically playing a role and hence working,” she added.
For many Washington-watchers, the allegations against Sen. Graham are not surprising. He has been known in D.C. circles for his high-pitched voice and feminine appearance. Despite these attributes, he still opposes same-sex marriage and voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in 2013. In 2010, it was reported that gay rights activist Mike Rogers claimed to have “pictures of a man who spent the night” with the Senator.