Faces of Upstate SC Pride: Not just a party, but a protest for LGBTQ+ community
Pride is not just an annual party for the LGBTQ+ community, it's also a protest.
Since the Stonewall riots in New York City in June 1969, each summer represents a celebration in progress for LGBTQ+ rights and a continued fight for liberation.
Only eight years have passed since the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage. Just last year, President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act to protect and recognize same-sex and interracial marriages if the high court were to overturn it.
Yet threats to the community have become more emboldened in recent years. Hundreds of bills have been introduced to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Bathroom bills prohibiting transgender people from using restrooms consistent with their gender identity have returned. Eight states introduced legislation to ban public drag performances.
South Carolina and Greenville are no different.
In 2020, Greenville County Council sunset a resolution that condemned queer lifestyles, an overdue win for the LGBTQ+ community. The measure was on the books since 1996.
But today, local advocates continue to push back against anti-trans legislation introduced in the state also seeking to prohibit gender-affirming health care. Many are also on the frontlines against Greenville County’s attempts to ban books with LGBTQ+ themes from the Greenville County Library System and remove pride displays during June.
The conflict has become so hostile that outside threats were recently made to library employees at the Travelers Rest branch for refusing to remove pride displays.
Still, queer communities continue to exist, thrive and fight for support in the Upstate.
In the past few years, several non-profits were created to provide resources and services to the LGBTQ+ community. From Pride Link, a group that offers wellness resources and financial assistance for health care for queer residents, to the Uplift Outreach Center which provides safe spaces for local LGBTQ+ youth, there are now more groups supporting the region's queer residents than ever.
The Upstate’s queer community continues to carve out space in Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson and beyond in the face of adversity.
For this Pride month, The Greenville News decided to put a face, or a few, to members of the LBGTQ+ community growing, living and thriving in the region. Over the next few days in June and July, the News will introduce five members of the Upstate’s queer community and share stories of their past, present and future living in the area.
These are the Faces of Upstate SC Pride.
An artist and rebel, Bex Miller witnessed Greenville transform
For decades, Bex Miller has watched Greenville’s LBGTQ+ community transform.
“It's two different towns,” Bex, 47, said reflecting on the acceptance and representation of queer communities in the city since the late 80s and 90s.
Bex was born and raised in the county. They were a student at both Easley High School and the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts summer program.
Through art, Bex always felt they could express themselves authentically ― first through poetry and writing, and more recently, through photography and mixed media. The arts community at the Governor’s School gave space for Bex to fully accept their queerness.
Rebekah Farlow found herself but the hurdles kept coming
When she was 6-years-old, Rebekah Farlow believed she would grow up to look just like her mother.
Young and untroubled by the pressures of adhering to the sex she was assigned at birth, she believed some boys grew up to be men but some became women.
"It didn't make sense to me any other way," she said.
Her belief would transform into hope and carry her into adulthood.
Back in Greenville, Clay Smith is Delighted Tobehere
Greenville's Clay Smith, who performs nationwide as Delighted Tobehere, believes in the importance of visibility for the LGBTQ+ community in Upstate SC.
“We must, as a community, continue to stay visible to remind those that think that it might be easier to not be here that they're wrong, and they are valued and loved,” he said. “Visibility also allows us to show our numbers and that we are not just in major cities. The queer community is everywhere, and we are your coworkers and your family members, and we are members of the taxpaying, employed community and it is not illegal to be us. We are simply living our lives.”
Tyler Prescott means business for queer professionals
When Tyler Prescott arrived in the Upstate a decade ago, he was on a path to discover more about himself. Eventually, that path led to leading one of the largest groups for LGBTQ+ professionals in South Carolina.
The 29-year-old is the CEO of the Upstate SC LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce, the first in the region and one of 54 such groups across the country. But when he first moved to Anderson in 2012 from western Massachusetts, he enrolled at Anderson University to study religion.
“I grew up in a very, very conservative community,” Tyler said about his hometown. “Part of that upbringing was I was homeschooled, and it was an intentional decision from my parent's side to raise their children extremely conservative.”
Read about how his path paved the way to his current leadership position.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Meet the Faces of Upstate SC Pride: Not just a party, but a protest
