Former Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum had multiple liaisons with a male escort, a new profile reveals.
The former mayor of Tallahassee, Gillum’s political career was derailed by a sex scandal in which he was found passed out in a hotel room with Travis Dyson, a male escort. Gillum, who lost the 2018 Florida gubernatorial general election to Ron DeSantis, paid Dyson multiple times for sex, according to GQ.
Gillum had previously told talk show host Tamron Hall that Dyson was just a friend. However, Dyson alleged that he and Gillum matched on Grindr, a gay dating app.
Gillum told GQ that he did not take any drugs, despite the fact that methamphetamine was found in the hotel room where police found Gillum lying in a pool of vomit. Therefore, Gillum assumed that he was being “set up.” However, Dyson told GQ that both he and Gillum took G, or Gamma Hydroxybutyrate, a club drug that can raise a user’s sex drive. Dyson further alleged that during their previous sexual encounters, both he and Gillum took G. (RELATED: ‘Not Very COVID-19 Hygienic’: Matt Gaetz Rips Andrew Gillum For Alleged Hotel Room Meth Incident)
Gillum refused to respond to Dyson’s allegations on the record, canceling a follow-up interview with reporter Wesley Lowery, the GQ profile reveals.
Gillum checked into an alcohol rehabilitation facility on March 15. “I witnessed my father suffer from alcoholism and I know the Damaging effects it can have when untreated. I also know that alcoholism is often a symptom of deeper struggles,” he said.
The former mayor of Tallahassee, Gillum was considered a rising star in Democratic politics, despite his loss to DeSantis. Gillum met with former president Barack Obama in 2018 after his loss. Then, he said he was committed to making “the state of Florida available and winnable for the Democratic nominee for president.”