South Carolina doesn’t have the greatest history of supporting its LGBTQ+ residents. In 2024, Governor Henry McMaster signed into law House Bill 4624, which blocks gender-affirming care for anyone under 18 that resides in the state. While the law impacts all residents in South Carolina in a negative manner and leaves a mark of suffering, intolerance and bigotry in its wake, there are positive pockets of accepting and supportive blue throughout the state that are welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community. Two of such energy can be found in Greenville and Spartanburg.
Simple acknowledgment of the LGBTQ+ community in South Carolina started out in an exceptionally rocky manner. On May 22, 1996, Greenville County passed an anti-gay “family values” resolution, coming just three weeks before that year’s Olympic games were to be held in Atlanta. The reason? Opportunity politics. An angry politician lashing out at his lesbian daughter had issued a resolution in Georgia’s Cobb County that their region was incompatible with the Lesbian and Gay “lifestyle.” Greenville County in South Carolina – specific reasons unknown – followed suit, likely in an effort to capture the attention of the media and the International Olympic Committee, which was widely known to be pro-LGBTQ+ supportive. The result: the Olympic torch, which was originally slated to run directly through Greenville county, was shrouded from public view, (although it was uncovered in the city of Greenville proper). In Cobb County, Georgia, it was completely routed around the county.
It wouldn’t be until May 11, 2020, that the Greenville County resolution would be rescinded. By that time, 2003’s ruling from the Supreme Court against state laws criminalizing sexual activity between individuals of the same gender and 2015’s recognition of same-sex marriages had already been passed.
Upstate Pride SC (UPSC) was there to help advocate for the effort, and in just two tries, see that it was pushed through the Greenville County Council. Founded in 2008, UPSC, a non-profit organization, is a localized advocacy group that has helped provide leadership in the LGBTQ+ community since its beginning. Operating out of Spartanburg, the organization hosts the city’s annual Pride parade and is involved in pro-LGBTQ+ activity throughout Greenville County, which includes Greenville as well.
UPSC is but one of the entities that works for South Carolina’s LGBTQ+ community in earnest. From here, let’s talk about what each city, Spartanburg and Greenville, offers for LGBTQ+ culture, from services and community protections to the best neighborhoods to live in and engaging nightlife opportunities.
⚫ SPARTANBURG
Located within a ten-county region known as “The Upstate,” Spartanburg is approximately an hour and a half south of Charlotte via I-85, around three hours from Charleston when using I-26 West, and a little over two and a half hours north of Atlanta by I-85. From the census taken in 2022, the population stands estimated at around 38,584, with an unemployment rate of 5.7 percent, as of June 2024.
Community Services
The Uplift Outreach Center is a drop-in center for LGBTQ+ youth and allies that is local to Spartanburg. Uplift focuses on holding a safe space within its location at the Fernwood Baptist Church, not only offering spaces for projects and homework, along with a lending library, but also has opportunities for building resumes, voting and activism, healthy peer relationships, safe sex workshops and self-esteem & self-actualization group talks.
PFLAG also has a chapter in Spartanburg that works with LGBTQ+ families, providing support for education and advocacy.
Day & Nightlife
For Spartanburg, UPSC lists multiple locations that are not only LGBTQ+ friendly, many are also LGBTQ+ owned. Visitors to the city are recommended to check out Ethos Combatives, Proud Mary Theatre Company, The Spartanburg Little Theatre, Little River Coffee Bar, and The Hub City Bookshop. Good places to go grab a bite in the city would be Bribb’s Kitchen on Main, The Kennedy, and Heirloom, a celebrated restaurant that sources much of its supplies from local farms.
Some of the best notable night affair for LGBTQ+ socializing can be found at Bella Noche, Ciclops Cyderi & Brewery, FR8yard, The Pharmacy, and Growler Haus.
Best Queer Neighborhoods
A few places to look into when it comes to friendly and popular LGBTQ+ neighborhoods in Spartanburg include Hampton Heights, Converse Heights and Beaumont Village.
Cultural Events Around the Year
While Pride Month is celebrated nation-wide in June, Spartanburg celebrates its own Pride events in November, with the annual Pride March led by UPSC and a festival held around the same time. Black Pride Week for the city is held in June each year.
Next year will see the 2025 edition of the Rainbow Ball Prom, held annually at the Uplift Outreach Center during May. The event is a fundraiser for the Uplift organization, allowing them to continue serving the community and provide a fun event for LGBTQ+ individuals, along with their family & friends. The event also has a “Sovereign Court” section, where anyone from the community can apply and be nominated.
⚫ GREENVILLE
With a population around 72,500 (based on the 2022 census) and an unemployment rate of 5.10 percent as of October 2024, the anchor city of the Upstate is Greenville and it’s estimated as the sixth most populous settlement in the state. Greenville is around an hour and a half south of Charlotte by I-85, around three hours from Charleston when using I-26 East, and two hours and 20 minutes north of Atlanta via I-85.
Community Services
The Upstate SC LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce is located in Greenville. Along with providing comprehensive and specific legal & business resources, the Chamber also strives to create collaborative opportunities for connection and learning through workshops & networking events. The Chamber also works with small businesses in the area by providing loans through the Chamber Fund, in partnership with Community Works.
Day & Nightlife
Compared with Spartanburg, Greenville has a greater wealth of businesses to check out. Among the LGBTQ+ and ally businesses are the Drift Float & Spa, the Encore Gastrolounge, the Peace Museum, The Children’s Museum of The Upstate, The Lazy Goat, the Topside Pool Club, and Café & Then Some.
When it comes to nightlife in Greenville, LGBTQ+ visitors should investigate DT’s Tavern, Gaslight Lounge & Grill, Bar Margaret and Blu Nightclub. Other spots to check out, as per the Upstate Chamber site, are Ink N Ivy, Gottrocks, Barley’s, the SIP Whiskey & Wine Bar, and Oak & Honey.
Best Queer Neighborhoods
Greenville has several neighborhoods that are known for being LGBTQ+ friendly, including West End, North Main, Overbrook and Village of West Greenville, which is home to the aforementioned Bar Margaret, a queer-friendly safe space that hosts unofficial lesbian nights on Thursday afternoons.
Cultural Events Around the Year
Greenville has a plethora of Pride-centric events throughout the city. Trinity Lutheran Church hosts a free-to-enter “Pride Fest” during Pride month in June, featuring activities like live entertainment, silent auctions and a cosplay contest, all with the emphasis of adding to and bettering the overall health of the city’s local LGBTQ+ community, as well as giving back to LGBTQ+ youth and young adults.
The Upstate SC LGBT+ Chamber also has its own festival, “QueerFest,” that kicks off Pride Month in June. For 2024’s edition of the event, QueerFest featured local artistry by LGBTQ+ creators, including ceramics and paintings along with live music, drag performances, and an after party at Swanson’s Warehouse.
Black Pride Week in Greenville is also held during June, taking place on South Main Street during the week-long celebration.
For additional information on South Carolina’s Upstate LGBTQ+ communities visit the Facebook page Upstate SC LGBT.