Queer people are saying “I told you so” about this whole Graham Platner mess
It all could have been avoided
Mark
Maine Democrat Senate nominee Graham Platner’s campaign has been plagued by scandal from the start, and as of this week, it may have finally reached its end after an explosive SA allegation from one of the oysterman’s ex-girlfriends.
On Monday, accused Platner of rape when the two were together in 2021. Today, another woman came forward alleging that while she and Platner dated, he would secretly pull off condoms while they were having sex, a process known as “stealthing” that is classified as SA in several states. When Platner’s partner confronted him about this tendency, “he would act like cute about it, like ‘Oh sneaky me,'” she told the Washington Post.
Though Platner denies the allegations, his history with women (not to mention his famous Nazi tattoo scandal) has been difficult to ignore during the past few months as we ramp up to the midterms. For queer people, incumbent Susan Collins’ history is nothing to celebrate. Not only did Collins cast the deciding vote in overturning Roe v. Wade (by voting to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh), she also pulled her endorsement of a bill to expand LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination protections in 2021.
Once again, queer voters in Maine are forced into a painful position: support someone with a history of abuse, or a history of discrimination. Unless Platner drops out and we get a last-minute replacement.
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Elsewhere in the country, queer people are reckoning with what this means for the midterms. Platner was hailed as the left’s answer to the working class vote that’s traditionally gone to Tr*mp and MAGA. But while that voting block is important, people on the left are starting to understand that sometimes it’s better to stay true to your ideals rather than bend over backwards trying to appeal to voters who oppose our basic rights.
Platner’s tattoo controversy as well as controversial aspects of his service background have been causing concern for queer voters long before these allegations came to light.
"The Maine Democratic Party has the absurdly unenviable task of fixing an incredibly shitty situation Graham Platner caused. I have no idea what they intend to do, but I’ll bet it’s magnitudes more reasonable than attempting a Senate campaign with a credible rape accusation that…— Charlotte Clymer
(@cmclymer) July 8, 2026
“The powers of the government are derived from the consent of the governed,” said queer journalist V Spehar in a recent upload. “Graham Platner does not understand consent, he does not respect it, and thereby, in my view, he has not earned the right to the power to govern.”
“This is a tough one for Democrats,” Don Lemon reported. “‘We had a relationship where we argued and didn’t get along,’ that’s different than someone being accused of sexual assault.”
“I’ve been trying to have this conversation for many years,” said trans YouTuber Kat Blaque. “This obsession that many of you have with a very particular type of white masculinity will always lead you here. Always.”
If the Graham Platner scandal tells us anything, it’s that when people tell you who you are, you should believe them—no matter how progressive or exciting their politics might seem in the face of an outdated establishment.
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