Nuclear engineer Sam Brinton was seen enjoying a relaxing weekend their Maryland neighborhood amid the buzz surrounding their new role at the Office of Nuclear Energy under the Biden administration.
The 34-year-old scientist, who is the first non-binary person to accept a position in federal government leadership, spent most of the weekend running errands with husband Kevin Rieck near their Rockville home.
Brinton, who lives just outside of Washington, DC, was spotted returning from work Saturday morning, dropping off a rental car before stopping for groceries with their partner.
The pair dressed warmly but casually in puffer jackets and jeans as they picked up some snacks and soft drinks at a local CVS before heading back to their house.
The two were seen stepping out again to walk their dog, Muse, around the neighborhood on Sunday afternoon.
Brinton made headlines in January after proudly announcing on LinkedIn that they had been appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition in the Department of Energy.
Nuclear engineer Sam Brinton was seen hitting the road once again on Monday following a low-key weekend at their Rockville, Maryland home
The 34-year-old embraced their science geek side, stepping out in a ‘nerdy by nature’ graphic t-shirt as they headed to the airport
Brinton, who has a masters degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), wore a colorful zip-up hoodie, red jeans, and sneakers as they loaded a suitcase and handbag to their service car Monday
In addition to being a science nerd, Brinton is also an avid LGBTQ activist and goes by Sister Ray Dee O’Active – a member of the Order of Perpetual Indulgence – a non-profit group of drag queens who dress up as nuns to raise awareness of sexual intolerance and transphobia
An MIT graduate who specializes in nuclear power and energy, Brinton is also an LGBTQ activist who has been open about their advocacy work and unconventional sexual proclivities such as animal role play on social media.
Photos shared online show them wearing American flag heels and a sparkly dress while standing over three people role-playing as dogs.
They are also known to perform as ‘Sister Ray Dee O’Active’ while participating in a group called the Order of Perpetual Indulgence – a non-profit group of drag queens who dress up as nuns to raise awareness of sexual intolerance and transphobia.
But Brinton dressed down over the weekend, ditching the stilettos and makeup as they spent relaxing, quality time with Rieck and Muse.
As Monday morning came around, they were seen hitting the road once again, headed for the airport with their bags.
Embracing their science geek side this time, Brinton stepped out in a blue graphic tee emblazoned with an image of an atom and the words ‘nerdy by nature.’
They matched the shirt with a pair of bright red pants, a colorful patterned zip-up hoodie, and sneakers.
They were alone as they loaded their baggage into a service vehicle.
Brinton has held various roles in the energy field prior to their latest position, and also served as a nuclear waste adviser in the Trump administration, The Washington Examiner reported.
But Brinton appeared to opt for more casual attire over the weekend, ditching the stilettos and makeup as they spent relaxing, quality time with their husband Kevin Rieck (left)
The two stepped out for an afternoon stroll around the neighborhood to walk their dog, Muse
Brinton, who is the first non-binary person to serve in the federal government, has previously spoken about coming out as a middle school student and then being forced to spend two years having conversion therapy
Originally from Iowa, the nuclear engineer now lives in the Maryland-DC area with Rieck. The pair married in 2019
Brinton’s past is a colorful one. Born in the 1987, their parents Peggy Jo and Stephen Brinton are Southern Baptists who belong now to the First Baptist Church of Perry, Iowa. The couple have three children – Sam, Rachel and Daniel.
Non-binary Brinton, who goes by they/them pronouns, previously revealed their troubled relationship with their parents, both 57 – describing how they were forced to take part in conversion therapy as a teen.
Brinton also recounted how they were told to leave the family home in Perry, Iowa, after coming out to their parents as bisexual for a second time while at college – forcing them to move in with an uncle in New York.
But speaking outside her home last week, Brinton’s mom Peggy Jo told DailyMail.com the family difficulties are now in the past and told of her pride in her son’s high-powered new job.
She said: ‘I home schooled him for quite a few years because I knew he would excel and this is what he’s doing. It’s just amazing. He started working on [nuclear] a few years ago.’
Peggy Jo added: ‘He’s said to me before, ”I know you don’t understand it” but I’m like, that’s what you do – you do it.’
Earlier on Saturday, the two were seen at their home after returning a rental car
The pair dressed warmly but casually in puffer jackets and jeans as they stepped out to run some errands
Brinton made a pit stop at a gas station to refuel during Saturday’s outing
The 34-year-old made headlines in January after proudly announcing online that they had been appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition under the Department of Energy
The couple picked up some soft drinks and snacks at a local CVS before heading back home
Brinton, who is the first gender-fluid person to serve in the deputy assistant secretary role, grew up in Sanford, Florida and Perry, Iowa.
In a 2018 op-ed, Brinton told how they first came out as a middle school student and then was forced to spend two years having conversion therapy – a discredited form of counseling that aims to convert gay people to straight. He described it as ‘torture.’
As a result, they went on to keep their sexuality hidden through homeschooling and then again while attending Perry High School after the family moved to Iowa in 2002.
Brinton’s parents still work at the First Baptist Church in Perry – a small city of just over 8,000 people 30 miles northwest of Des Moines – and continue to live in the modest $166,000 four-bedroom home where Brinton was raised.
There, the stiletto-loving 34-year-old lived a radically different existence from their high-powered lifestyle in Washington, D.C. today.
Samuel Brinton was tapped as deputy assistant secretary of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition in the Office of Nuclear Energy by the Biden Administration in January
Non-binary Brinton, 34, has previously told of their troubled relationship with their Southern Baptist parents Stephen and Peggy Jo Brinton (pictured) both 57 – describing how they were forced to take part in conversion therapy as a teen
Yearbook photos obtained by DailyMail.com show how young Brinton excelled in technology – winning the award for outstanding automotive tech student in their senior year.
A yearbook photo of Brinton at Perry High School in Iowa
Brinton also spent four years on the school wrestling team and was a cross country runner, as well as an enthusiastic member of the school choir.
They also appeared in several school plays – including The Stuck Pot, which tells the story of how a group of schoolboys established a consolation prize for the boy ‘stuck with an awful lemon’ for a date at the school prom.
Brinton also appeared in a high school production of Grease and in Quiet Summer – a comedy play about a man who decides to spend his summer trying to become president of the local country club.
They took part in multiple academic decathlons, was a member of the public speaking team and joined the Iowa All-State chorus in their final two years at school.
They also proved popular – photos show Brinton with friends at their school prom in 2006 and taking part in a quiz in a team named Sam’s Super Sweets.
This image gained attention, and anti-LGBTQ criticism
In a moving 2018 op-ed in the New York Times, Brinton described how they were put through ‘torture’ during conversion therapy, writing: ‘My parents were Southern Baptist missionaries who believed that the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy could ‘cure’ my sexuality’
But according to Brinton, the conversion therapy they endured as a middle schooler left scars and it wasn’t until college – Kansas State in Manhattan, Kansas – that they felt able to come out for the second and final time.
In a moving 2018 op-ed in the New York Times, Brinton described how they were put through ‘torture’ during conversion therapy, writing: ‘My parents were Southern Baptist missionaries who believed that the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy could ‘cure’ my sexuality.
‘For over two years, I sat on a couch and endured emotionally painful sessions with a counselor. I was told 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 I would get H.I.V. and AIDS.’
