<p>In April, dominatrix and sex worker Shy Sotomayor <a href="https://www.them.us/story/bryon-noem-reportedly-told-dom-he-wants-to-be-a-trans-bimbo-slut-named-crystal" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">revealed</a> that she had had a nine-year professional relationship with Bryon Noem, the husband of former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Following <a href="https://www.them.us/story/kristi-noems-husband-accused-of-bimbo-cross-dressing-fetish-in-leaked-messages-and-photos" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reports</a> in March that Bryon Noem had allegedly engaged in feminization and “bimbofication” fetishes with other sex workers, Sotomayor is sharing more details about his interest in trans identities.&nbsp;</p><br><p>These interests represent a stark contrast to his wife’s <a href="https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/rubio-rfk-jr-hegseth-bondi-noem-mcmahon" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">anti-trans record</a>. As Governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem signed bills into law that allow <a href="https://www.metroweekly.com/2021/03/south-dakota-gov-kristi-noem-signs-religious-refusal-bill-allowing-denials-of-service-to-lgbtq-people/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">businesses to use religious refusal </a>to deny service to LGBTQ people; <a href="https://www.them.us/story/trump-cabinet-white-house-staff-elon-musk-marco-rubio-anti-lgbtq#:~:text=Kristi%20Noem%20to%20lead%20the%20Department%20of%20Homeland%20Security.%20Created%20in&amp;text=%E2%80%9D%20He%20has%20staunchly%20opposed%20same%2Dsex%20marriage%2C%20comparing%20it%20to" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ban gender-affirming care</a> for trans youth; and <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/south-dakota-gov-kristi-noem-signs-transgender-athlete-ban" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ban trans women and girls from competing</a> on women’s and girls’ sports teams. Through all of this, Bryon Noem never denounced his wife’s policies.&nbsp;</p><br><p>In addition, experts have raised concerns about Bryon Noem’s relationship with sex workers from a national security standpoint. “If a media organization can find this out, you can assume with a high degree of confidence that a hostile intelligence service knows this as well,” Marc Polymeropoulos, a former CIA officer, told the <a href="https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15685877/kristi-noem-husband-bryon-crossdressing-pictures-south-dakota.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Daily Mail</a>. “Damaging information like this can be a tantalizing lead for a hostile intelligence service.”</p><br><p>In this episode of “UNCLOSETED, with Spencer Macnaughton,” Sotomayor speaks about her nine-year online relationship with Bryon Noem and describes the terrifying moment where she was almost caught by Kristi, who at the time was one of the country’s most powerful intelligence officers.</p><br><p><em>“UNCLOSETED, with Spencer Macnaughton” is a new podcast by Uncloseted Media, an investigative LGBTQ-focused nonprofit news publication. Follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChu2TFT8tC_1kNxZTlExOkw" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>YouTube</em></a><em> // </em><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0naD6C9bz6pYhSpddWSxid?si=c14a127b8f024bd3&amp;nd=1&amp;dlsi=3f2b9586a8c24d8f" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Spotify</em></a><em> // </em><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/uncloseted-with-spencer-macnaughton/id1886465537" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Apple</em></a></p><br><p><em>Note: If you are questioning your gender identity and don’t feel safe reaching out to anyone you know, The Trevor Project has a </em><a href="https://www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/guide/the-coming-out-handbook/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>handbook</em></a><em> on how to navigate this as well as </em><a href="https://www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>24/7 crisis support via calls and messaging</em></a><em> with counselors.</em></p><br><p>Host: Spencer Macnaughton</p><p>Editor: Sean Robinson</p><p>Social producer/Design: Sophie Holland</p><p>Additional Reporting: Hope Pisoni</p><p>Special thanks: Jennifer Moroz and Leital Molad</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>