Sam Brinton’s family says his father never ‘signed him up for any conversion therapy’

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Samuel Brinton’s family again lobbied against President Joe Biden’s former non-binary nuclear waste guru allegations that they were abused and forced into conversion therapy.

Brinton, 35, previously alleged in a 2018 opinion piece for the New York Times that they were admitted to the emergency room multiple times after being abused by their Baptist missionary parents after coming out at age 11.

His mother, Peggy Jo, debunked DailyMail.com’s claims in 2022 claiming that she never sent Samuel for conversion therapy and there are no records of them being admitted to the hospital.

Peggy Jo and her family are once again denying the abuse claims, as the non-binary former civil servant is currently on trial after allegedly stealing a woman’s suitcase in Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport in September.

“I’ve never signed him up for conversion therapy and that’s pretty much the only comment I can make because he needs to tell his own story,” Peggy Jo said. The New York Post.

‘We don’t abuse him. If he had been in an ER at some point, there would be records…and there aren’t.

Samuel Brinton’s family has denied allegations that the 35-year-old was abused and forced into conversion therapy.

Pictured: Samuel's father, Stephen Brinton.

Pictured: Samuel's mother, Peggy Jo

Brinton, 34, non-binary, has previously recounted his troubled relationship with his Southern Baptist parents, Peggy Jo and Stephen Brinton, both 57, describing how they were forced to participate in conversion therapy and were targeted with a gun to the head when they were teenagers. . Since then, the allegations have been discredited.

Samuel filed the abuse allegation in 2018 in a New York Times op-ed titled ‘I Was Tortured In Gay Conversion Therapy And It’s Still Legal In 41 States’. They described the ‘torture’ of Peggy Jo and her husband Stephen Brinton.

“My parents were Southern Baptist missionaries who believed that the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy could ‘cure’ my sexuality,” Samuel wrote.

“For over two years, I sat on a couch and endured emotionally painful sessions with a counselor. They told me that my faith community rejected my sexuality; that I was the abomination we had heard about in Sunday school; that I was the only gay person in the world; that it was inevitable that I would get HIV and AIDS.’

Samuel also told how his mother found them standing on the roof and told them that she would love him again if he would just change.

‘[That] It’s not the thing to say to a person standing on the edge of a building,’ they said. “So I ran back into my mom’s arms saying, ‘You know what? I have changed! It’s done. Epiphany of God”.

Samuel’s sister, Rachel Brinton, also told the New York Post that the claims against her family were “a lie.”

“Those claims are invalid,” Rachel said. ‘First of all, the conversion therapy claims never happened, nor did my parents abuse my brother or me. My parents and I have always known the truth, but we don’t preach to people what the truth is. It’s disheartening because my parents are still being slandered for the last decade because some people believed Samuel’s words.

Samuel has not identified the name of the therapist or the agency they were forced to see when they were younger.

The allegations have caused a rift in the relationship between Samuel and his younger brother Daniel, Rachel told the news outlet.

Samuel is currently on trial after allegedly stealing the woman’s suitcase at the Minnesota airport with assets totaling $2,325 inside.

Brinton, 35, previously alleged that they were admitted to the emergency room multiple times after being abused by their Baptist missionary parents after coming out at age 11.  Pictured: Sam Brinton

Brinton, 35, previously alleged that they were admitted to the emergency room multiple times after being abused by their Baptist missionary parents after coming out at age 11. Pictured: Sam Brinton

Brinton, 34, non-binary, has previously opened up about his troubled relationship with his Southern Baptist parents, Peggy Jo and Stephen Brinton, both 57, describing how they were forced to participate in conversion therapy as teenagers.

Peggy Jo debunked the claims by claiming that she never sent Samuel to conversion therapy and that there are no records of them being admitted to the hospital. Pictured: Peggy Jo outside her house in 2022

Samuel's parents were in contact with him last year despite refusing to attend his 2019 wedding to husband Kevin Rieck (pictured)

Samuel’s parents were in contact with him last year despite refusing to attend his 2019 wedding to husband Kevin Rieck (pictured)

Samuel, who is the first non-binary person to hold the position of deputy assistant secretary, grew up in Sanford, Florida and Perry, Iowa.

The local police department where the Brintons raised their children also claimed there were no previous complaints about domestic disputes at the family home, according to the news outlet.

While Peggy Jo told DailyMail.com last year that she was proud of Samuel and that their disputes are behind her, she refused to attend his 2019 wedding to husband Kevin Rieck.

The nuclear waste guru left his post in the Biden administration in December after footage showed them stealing a woman’s suitcase from American Airlines baggage claim arriving in Minnesota from Washington DC.

It is unclear if Brinton resigned of their own free will, if they were fired, or if they were given a chance to resign before being fired.

The White House has repeatedly refused to comment on the scandal, saying it is a non-political issue.

In October 2022, Sam Brinton was accused of stealing a woman's Vera Bradley suitcase on September 16 in Minneapolis-St.  Paul Airport from a baggage carousel

In October 2022, Sam Brinton was accused of stealing a woman’s Vera Bradley suitcase on September 16 in Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport from a baggage carousel

Sam Brinton dodged the reporter's questions as they left court in Minneapolis on Wednesday.

Sam Brinton dodged the reporter’s questions as they left court in Minneapolis on Wednesday.

When Samuel returned to the nation’s capital two days later, they searched the bag as if it were his. The nuclear scientist then used the bag on a trip to Europe in October.

Samuel was contacted by investigators and initially lied that the bag had not been taken. They later admitted to the crime, but claimed it was an accident.

They also said the woman’s clothing had been left in a hotel room in St. Paul, however it was never recovered.

In a separate incident, Samuel is accused of stealing another woman’s luggage from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.

They appeared in court in December on those charges and were released on $15,000 bond.

A security video image showed Samuel walking through Harry Reid International Airport with luggage over the summer.

The $320 case, which was lifted from a carousel, was packed with more than $3,000 worth of jewelry, clothing and makeup, according to 8 news now researchers.

It is not clear why they targeted the suitcase or if it was because it was from a luxury brand.