Is the Biden administration’s ‘non-binary’ hero a thief?

“Everyone deserves to live their life as their full an authentic self.” So tweeted the Department of Energy on November 20. “Trans and gender non-conforming individuals are part of the DOE family,” the tweet insisted, “and with them we mourn the lives lost and reject the darkness that would erase their light.”

One might think the Energy Department should be more concerned over out-of-control gas prices and predicted shortages of heating oil this winter. But its useless mandarins instead were devoting their efforts to observance of something called “Transgender Day of Remembrance,” an annual date chosen by an activist in 1999 to mourn “transgendered” people who have died violent deaths. Celebrating the occasion is meant to be “inclusive” of Energy Department employees who claim to be of a different gender than the one they were born with — even though the agency has only one trans “family” member.

That would be Sam Brinton (they/them/their), a man who claims to be “non-binary” and has a well-documented career leading workshops on “pup play,” a sexual practice in which the partner plays the role of a pet dog within a domination/submission dynamic. Brinton, who graduated from MIT and uses the handle “NuclearNerd” as both a stage name and reportedly on fornication apps, has also served since June 19 as deputy assistant secretary of energy for spent fuel and waste disposition. He celebrated his appointment with a Twitter post photo of himself in a chic red dress and high heels patriotically decorated with the American flag.

If you suspect by now that Brinton may not be entirely well, he’s since apparently confirmed this. Back in September, he allegedly stole a high-end piece of checked luggage worth over $2,000 from a baggage carousel at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul airport. Video surveillance reviewed after a complaint was filed shows him at the baggage claim despite having checked no luggage of his own. He then appears to take the bag and remove its rightful owner’s nametag. Over the next month, Brinton allegedly used the bag as his own on multiple other trips. When eventually questioned by police, he confirmed that the bag was in his possession and claimed he’d made a mistake due to exhaustion. On October 27, Brinton was charged with felony theft of movable property without consent, which is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Brinton faces a court hearing on December 19. The Department of Energy has confirmed that he has been placed on leave, and he is making the most of his time off. Last weekend, he participated in a BDSM conference in Los Angeles, where he taught a workshop called “Spanking: From Calculus to Chemistry,” alongside other seminars with such titles as “Fisting Fundamentals,” “Cowboy Rope Bondage,” and “Running a Dungeon 101.” In his spare time, he also retweeted the Energy Department’s “Transgender Day of Remembrance” tweet celebrating the existence of courageous individuals such as himself.

As an appointed official in a Democratic administration, Brinton probably has little to fear from his alleged theft. Those who claim to be within the realm of “gender fluidity” enjoy de facto protections, since radical gender ideology holds that even the slightest doubt of such an individual’s claims is tantamount to the highest order of bigotry and even literal “violence.” Those who cross that line routinely suffer life-altering personal and professional consequences, including termination from employment, expulsion from academic studies, loss of parental rights, and deplatforming from media. Ask the good people at the Babylon Bee, the satirical online magazine that was banned from pre-Musk Twitter for naming the trans health bureaucrat Rachel Levine its Man of the Year.

In Brinton’s case, the mainstream media has remained almost completely silent, shielding him from widespread condemnation as though he were just another drag queen story hour. Despite repeated inquiries, the Energy Department has not clarified whether Brinton’s leave is paid or unpaid, suggesting the American taxpayer may well still be supporting a senior official who has been charged with a felony.

When Brinton was appointed earlier this year, the DoE did not even reply to questions from Senator John Barrasso, the ranking Republican member of the Senate Energy Committee, about the nature of its background check and vetting procedures. When Barrasso demanded Brinton’s termination and the removal of his security clearance after he was criminally charged, the committee’s Democrats refused to support him, replying that Brinton was innocent until proved guilty. Was Brett Kavanaugh?

A criminal conviction will make Brinton ineligible to hold his job and clearance, even if he gets off with a slap on the wrist instead of the buttocks bruising beating he may prefer. But in such a paranoid public culture, what judge in his right mind would want to end the government career of a trailblazing blessing of liberty like Sam Brinton?