Ive been fortunate enough to have the pleasure of attending Upstate Pride all 6 years. This morning I find myself thinking back to the very first march and festival in 2008. There were many protestors against us that first year, but we didnt let that stop us. This beautiful grassroots movement quickly outgrew the Spartanburg UUs parking lot. What I saw yesterday was a diverse community all coming together in a unified call for equality. I saw groups offering to share each others resources at their booths. I saw GBs pitching in to help Pride staff with whatever they needed from set up to blowing up balloons. I saw people working together, because we know we can better serve our community when we help each other. I saw allies standing up for their LGBT* friends and family. I saw people who once hid in closets of shame marching proudly through the streets of Spartanburg. I saw our community working as one, and it made me really proud to call Upstate South Carolina my home.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 12:03:49 +0000