Reddit users are expressing outrage after learning that a moderator involved in three of the largest trans-focused subreddits is a child sex offender, and may have received protection from another transgender moderator. Branden Michael Dunleavy, also known as Brynn or u/ranshin-da-anarchist, has deleted his Reddit account since the revelations.
Information about Dunleavy’s identity first began circulating on Reddit on Saturday after user u/Living-East-8486 posted a warning on his account claiming that u/Cedarwolf, the top moderator at r/MTF, “attempted to keep a convicted child predator on the r/MTF moderator team.”
In his post, u/Living-East-8486 described a dispute that had emerged on r/MTF involving u/Cedarwolf, hinting that the two had a falling out that ultimately had prompted u/Living-East-8486 to come forward and clarify the allegations.
“The primary thing I’ve been pondering is how on earth I can actually bring this to light without making it seem like I’m just trying to get revenge. To be honest, I don’t think there is any foolproof way for me to do that. Frankly, I’m furious over this situation,” u/Living-East-8486 wrote. “This moderator’s primary reasoning for excluding me from the community was to ‘protect the children’ from my weird ass kink posts (which were always marked 18+). Then I find out that they are openly defending a child predator being on the mod team.”
u/Living-East-8486 included a number of screenshots from what appeared to be private Discord conversations in late 2025.
In one message, top r/MTF moderator u/Cedarwolf, under the handle Cedarpaw, expresses a reluctance to remove Dunleavy from the team because “the next few years are going to be very hard for trans folks,” and instead suggests Dunleavy change his username to better hide his identity.
u/Cedarwolf suggests Dunleavy can establish a fresh Reddit reputation under the “new” username by “spending a week” on other subreddits.
Hellbound and Down 