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My sister and her partner want to move to Greenville but her partner is Hispanic and being a lesbian couple they have some preconceived ideas about "The South".
They are coming to visit soon and I’d love to take them somewhere where they can see there IS a gay community here. Any advice on that would be much appreciated.
I am also new to Greenville. I have always had gay male friends and miss the relationships I had with them in CA. I know this isn’t a personal site but if anyone is interested in a female (friend only) and would like to chat or give me some tips about fun spots in Greenville that would be great.
I have to say, as a gay man, I know there are gay people in the area - we see them (mainly couples) all over the place. But there doesn't seem to be much of a "community" here. We don't go out much, so really can't speak much to places to socialize (clubs), but I know The Castle is the main bar (for men anyway). The one lesbian bar I can think of recently closed and there is now a completely different type of venue there.
There may be gay and/or lesbian Meetup groups locally (meetup.com). Most of the folks we notice locally appear to be professional types who probably wouldn't go out much anyway (like us!). Also, with the increased influence of the internet, dedicated "gay" establishments seem to be becoming less relevant.
Don't let any of that discourage your sister & her partner! We've been very happy here for 10+ years!
The South as a whole is generally hard core Republican, ultra Conservative. and not particularly receptive to change. Yesterday in Columbia forum a G'ville member mentioned he was gay/ a Hispanic mate and some ugly things were hurled at him on one of his visits. The reply addresses both G'ville and Columbia, SC in particular.
"Let's see...Richland County's and Columbia's registered voters are about 40% black so your argument doesn't hold weight there - Richland votes at least 60% Democratic in national elections and more in state-wide. Why is Columbia a liberal oasis? One of the only sheriff's departments in the south that recognizes the diversity of the county and backs it up with liaison offices to different parts of the community, including the gay and lesbian community.
Let's see...the city has anti-discrimination laws that include sexual orientation in areas of employment, public accommodations, housing, etc.
Charleston only has a law covering employment and no other city in the state has anything.
Greenville County passed a resolution basically stating that gay people were not welcome there.
As far as you being called a name here, I'm sorry that happened, but that can happen anywhere in the country. In Greenville it came from thousands of people."
C-D is a virtual forum. We do not know the members behind screen names or keyboards, nor do we know if they are truthful or not. You take your chances. Federal laws are useless if they are not fully enforced locally.
1) I find Greenville to be much more sophisticated in its overall views towards minorities and the GLBT community than other parts of the South (I grew up in 2 parts of Alabama, and lived & spent/spend a great deal of time in Mississippi & Georgia).
2) The South has NO monopoly on uninformed people. A scan of news stories will make that plain.
I would tell your sister and her partner this:
There will be nice people in Greenville and there will be some not so nice people. Like everywhere else. Hang out with the nice people and don't give a #$&% about the not so nice people.
1) I find Greenville to be much more sophisticated in its overall views towards minorities and the GLBT community than other parts of the South (I grew up in 2 parts of Alabama, and lived & spent/spend a great deal of time in Mississippi & Georgia).
2) The South has NO monopoly on uninformed people. A scan of news stories will make that plain.
I agree with you there UpstateBooster, I'm not a fan of stereotypes but they do exist, nevertheless, I'm happy to say I have been pleasantly surprised at the diversity and sophistication of Greenville.
My sister, her partner, and I are all 40+, professional type so none of us are all that much into clubbing. It's just hard to meet friends when you are new the area, especially if it's a quiet community.
I have been here almost a year and I have not been able to connect with anyone. I guess I need to hone up on my social skills.
Your sis and her partner should check out The Sugar Shack, The Twisted Lemon, Skittles, and South 29 all in the Greenville & Spartanburg area. That is funny about worrying because her partner is hispanic. I think a little research into the size of the Greenville Areas hispanic community and gay/lesbian hispanic community will put their worries to rest.
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