Former South Carolina state Rep. RJ May (R-West Columbia), a vocal opponent of LGBTQ+ rights and one-time “Legislator of the Year” for Moms for Liberty, pleaded guilty this past Friday to federal charges related to distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). According to Newsweek, The plea comes just weeks before his trial was scheduled to begin.
May, 38, signed court documents agreeing to change his plea following months of denial and legal maneuvering, during which he acted as his own attorney. Despite having no formal legal education, May attempted to suppress evidence, arguing the warrant used to search his home, laptop, and mobile devices was invalid. The judge had not yet ruled on that motion when May reversed course and accepted a plea deal.
Prosecutors said May used the screen name “joebidennnn69” on the social media app Kik to exchange at least 265 files depicting the sexual abuse of toddlers and young children over several days in spring 2024. The material reportedly included explicit images of children as young as seven being assaulted by adults, the same age as May’s own child.
May was arrested in June 2024 and has remained in federal custody without bond since then. He faces up to 20 years in prison for each of five counts, fines up to $250,000, and mandatory registration as a sex offender. His official plea hearing is scheduled for Monday.
The charges against May also extend beyond the U.S. Prosecutors allege he traveled to Colombia multiple times under a fake name, where he filmed himself sexually abusing underage girls. While that evidence was initially in dispute, his guilty plea will likely render those legal arguments moot.
A Double Standard Exposed
May’s fall from grace is particularly notable given his staunch anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric while in office. He regularly accused LGBTQ+ individuals — especially drag performers and transgender people — of “harming children.” In a January 2024 speech in the South Carolina House, May stated, “We as legislators have an obligation to ensure that our children have no harm done to them.”
On social media, he called drag shows and gender-affirming healthcare “child exploitation” and likened Medicaid-funded transgender healthcare to supporting drug addiction. He also promoted bills to ban LGBTQ+-inclusive books from schools and libraries.
These positions won him praise from the far-right organization Moms for Liberty (M4L), which named him their 2023 “Legislator of the Year.” The group, known for calling LGBTQ+ books “pornographic” and labeling queer educators and allies as “groomers,” had previously invited May to speak at its 2022 summit, where he gave a keynote address on “Reclaiming Education in America.”
That same group has not yet issued a public statement regarding May’s guilty plea.
