Sam Brinton Saves The World - Not Really

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MIT Technology & Policy Program

Sam Brinton saves the world Posted here June 25, 2022

A champion for LGBTQ rights, Brinton got dual masters in nuclear engineering and TPP so they could “save the world from nuclear waste.”

What was the focus of your research? What sort of knowledge and disciplines did it bring together? How are you making an impact?

My husband sometimes describes me as a weird kind of Batman. Why, you might ask?

Because by day I work to save lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) youth from suicide, and by night I work to save the world from nuclear waste related environmental disaster.

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How does one come to have two full time jobs in such disparate fields? Why, from TPP of course! With a dual masters in nuclear engineering (Course 22) and TPP, I started my DC career with a series of think tanks like the Breakthrough Institute, Third Way, and the Bipartisan Policy Center, where I concentrated my efforts on explaining the advanced nuclear reactor industry to Congress. Then, my dreams came true when I was offered work with Deep Isolation, the world’s only nuclear waste disposal start-up, and The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LGBTQ youth.

My impact is ever changing but with congressional mentions of Deep Isolation on the rise and contracts across the globe, the future of nuclear waste disposal looks bright.

And when it comes to The Trevor Project, my highest honor has been the passage of the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, the first LGBTQ inclusive bill to pass both chambers of Congress unanimously, which will soon bring the national suicide hotline to three simple digits: 988.

Why did you choose to come to TPP? My time at MIT was spent coming out and coming into my own. While nuclear engineering students told me the only reason I was admitted into the Institute was because of my “diversity” fellowship, TPP students never imagined putting me in that kind of box.

There were many reasons I came to TPP. It was a place where combination was celebrated, where I could learn law, economics, quantum physics, and system dynamics all at the same time. It also got me away from Kansas. I only applied to two graduate school programs (I do NOT recommend doing this) – MIT and UC Berkeley. The reason? They were on the coast, and I was so tired of the constant attacks on my identity.

What did you enjoy about living in Cambridge? What do you like about the MIT community?

Moving to MIT from the wheat fields of Kansas was A LOT. I had just founded the first LGBTQ student resource center in the state and to be honest, Cambridge and the MIT community gave me a place to grow and learn. I wasn’t the only nuclear nerd. I wasn’t the only bisexual. From Provincetown trips and singing with the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus to LONG nights in libraries and founding a Global Zero chapter at MIT (working to pragmatically reduce and eliminate nuclear weapons), it was a FANTASTIC few years that I truly can’t imagine spending any other way.

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“I am living proof that what conversion therapy can try to destroy, self-acceptance can save.” – Sam Brinton Whether they are walking the halls of MIT discussing the differences in advanced nuclear reactors or belting out their favorite tunes with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC, it is hard to miss Sam Brinton’s passion for changing the world – and potentially their stilettos.

Sam got their advocacy start as an ardent activist against the dangerous and discredited practices of conversion therapy. Their work sometimes takes the form of conversations at universities across the country to share their experiences and to educate on how to pass local or state legislation banning the practice. They have spoken before the United Nations, Google Headquarters, and Congress, and have also been featured in interviews with the New York Times, Playboy Magazine, TIME Magazine, MSNBC, ABC News, CBS News, PBS, the Washington Post, Politico, The Guardian, and many others.

You might not expect a nuclear engineering graduate from MIT to be strolling through the White House in stilettos, but that is part of the reason Sam does it. Having a conversation on preconceptions and the ways we can work together despite differences in appearance is right up their alley. Whether it’s on technical topics or social issues, Sam is always willing to have the tough conversations with an open mind – and a killer pair of stilettos.

Stay in touch with Sam: Facebook – Samuel Brinton Twitter – @sbrinton —-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------NOTE by John Shanahan: President Joe Biden set the standard for government leadership of the nuclear power program by appointing Samuel Brinton . It is all about people like Samuel Brinton and “their” values on sexual orientation and lifestyle.

Brinton refers to himself using the politically correct pronoun, “they.” Biden and Brinton are not interested in sound nuclear waste management. They don’t know what that would be. So Biden had Brinton appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of Spent Fuel

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and Waste Disposition in the Office of Nuclear Energy for the Department of Energy.

Biden and Brinton are more concerned about making statements to all Americans and young children about their interests and concerns for the LGBTQ community. That is not what heterosexual oriented people want from the Department of Energy. Go have a LGBTQ festival elsewhere. I’ve known gays and lesbians who are fine individuals, members of the community, great career professionals, talented musicians and artists, and loving parents. My complaint is simply that no one should be given preference for a job based on color of skin, religion, political or sexual orientation. Furthermore, no one should force their sexual orientation on me or my family.

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