According to a 2020 survey, nearly 170,000 SC residents identified as LGBTQ+.
Earlier this summer the website realtor.com offered their take on the best places to live in the United States for our community. Around that same time, South Carolina was ranked as the worst state to live in for LGBTQ+ individuals and families living in the United States by Out Leadership in its 2024 Equality Report, which included two maps to indicate grades for each state.
In the first map, indicating from green to red as to how many laws have strengthened or deteriorated support of LGBTQ rights, South Carolina in particular ranked a darker shade of orange, while in the second map that indicates an overall score for equality the state was handed a score of red, looping it with seventeen other states, including Tennessee, Florida, West Virginia, and Alabama.
So how did South Carolina achieve these rankings for 2024? One piece of evidence could be directly taken for much of the legislature put into law, including House Bill 4624, which, as of last May specifically prohibits gender-affirming treatments for trans youth under 18 years and bans public funds from being used for any forms of trans healthcare, whether for adolescents or adults.
South Carolina is one of 26 GOP-controlled states that have continued to adopt waves of anti-LGBTQ+ laws over the years, including restrictions related to sports participation, bathroom use and queer literature. All of this makes one wonder if there is an oasis or two in what appears to be a sea of hostility.
Despite all the ongoing discriminatory measures coming from the legislature, Charleston, Columbia, and the Greenville-Spartanburg region seek to defy the problems that plague LGBTQ+ families around the rest of the state. How do each of these cities find ways to keep the targeted safe, and make their populations a good place to be a part of?
Charleston
The near-coastal city of Charleston, as touted by the Explore Charleston site, is presented as a haven for all walks of LGBTQ+ folk as far back as the 1500s, even before the founding of the colony back in 1670. Visitors can get a real education about the city through “The Real Rainbow Row,” a self-guided tour that takes attendees through the city to landmarks that tell the queer histories that Charleston is built off.
Despite the crime and discrimination that does exist for LGBTQ+ people, the Charleston Police Department has found a way to provide protection through its Safe Place Program, which encourages local businesses, schools and organizations to display signage that confirms their location is doing its part to provide security and safety for everyone. Along with the city-wide “no tolerance” policy toward discrimination, CPD also has liaison officers that the LGBTQ community has access to in order to minimize crime.
It’s also important to note that Charleston has a handful of LGBTQ-specific services available for our community, among them, We Are Family, a LGBTQ center that offers services and programs for youth, including group and art therapy, as well as a community center. The Gender & Sexuality Equity Center is part of the College of Charleston and offers programs, services and resources to support the LGBTQ+ community. Lastly, there’s the MUSC Health center, which provides healthcare for families and individuals in the LGBTQ+ community.
Columbia
Columbia is a progressive college city that has its own protections in place for LGBTQ+ citizens. As reported by SC United for Justice & Equality on June 15 of this year, Columbia became the first city in South Carolina to pass an ordinance against “conversion therapy” for minors, putting an end to a dangerous and discredited anti-LGBTQ practice that allowed medical professionals to shame LGBTQ youth for being themselves through dangerous methods that lead to severe depression and other potentially fatal after-effects for those having to endure it.
Even though the state identifies as solidly red, the city’s forward and positive actions put it in league with nineteen other states, including North Carolina and District of Columbia, in banning the practice. Columbia is also one of eight localities in South Carolina to have adopted ordinances against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity when it comes to employment, housing, and public accommodations, as per the South Carolina Equality (SCEQ) website.
A significantly important part of what Columbia has to offer for the local community is The Harriet Hancock LGBT Center. Opened in 1994, the brick and mortar paid-for building located at 1108 Woodrow Street, is a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community in South Carolina and its allies. It offers support and social groups, educational materials, and a directory of community resources.
Greenville-Spartanburg
Greenville, which is practically equidistant from Charlotte and Atlanta, has created similar efforts as Charleston and Columbia to protect its LGBTQ citizens, along with a few unique offerings of its own.
In 2015, just before the US Supreme Court made the ruling on allowing same-sex marriage nationwide, the First Baptist church in Greenville affirmed its support of LGBTQ rights and identity by putting into place a statute banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, as reported by The Greenville News. The city’s official site also gives a short list of positive moves when it comes to the community, including Greenville’s Youth Bullying Prevention Policy, which prohibits discrimination based on orientation and gender identity toward youth participating in city-managed programs.
Be aware that Greenville’s LGBTQ+ center, The Queer Wellness Center (QWC, also known as 864Pride) is located at 30 Pointe Circle. The organization provides mental health programming, a resource closet, funding for medical and mental health care, clinical training, cultural competency training, interactive leadership and empowerment presentations, financial planning and aid programs, and more.
Spartanburg, approximately 30 miles north of Greenville (with an estimated population of 40,000) has worked closely with nearby Greenville over the years and has developed amenities and services for their own local community, including the Uplift Outreach Center, aimed at providing services for the LGBTQ+ youth community; Upstate Pride, a non-profit organization that hosts the annual Pride March and Celebration in downtown Spartanburg; and the Spartanburg Unitarian Universalist church, a welcoming and affirming place for the LGBTQ+ community. Surprisingly, there’s more. Check out social media and google for additional Spartanburg resources and information.
Additional content was added to this article by David Aaron Moore.