gay friendly? (Columbia, Greenville: employment, school, university)

[cpking99]

Admittedly, I have not read the entire forum thread here as it seems to jump all over the place. That said, a number of themes seem to exist throughout...

I won't pretend to speak for all gay people, but only for myself and my partner. We are not judgmental. We are Christians, a debate in which I won't engage online. My brother, a Presbyterian minister currently in Arkansas, and I have had many discussions on the subject of gay Christians. I would highly recommend reading What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality by Daniel A. Helminiak; I bought the book from Amazon for my mother years ago as she was wrestling with my sexual orientation. She found the book helpful and, frankly, a relief!

I will say that, for us, our goal is NOT to move in an "take over." I have always held the belief that one should live their life by doing what was right; this has proven to be the best way of demonstrating sameness (and saneness) to others. While I applaud those gays (and other groups) who are activists and demonstrators for their candor, guts and fortitude, I also have found they don't necessarily represent me in terms of beliefs and lifestyle. There are many (many!) committed gay couples who have outlasted their heterosexual counterparts in tenured relationships. They live their lives and simply want to be allowed to do so without hassle.

At the end of the day, we as human beings tend to latch on to some opinion or statement for the sake of feeling comfortable on subjects about which we know very little. The only way to relieve fear of the "new" people is to simply get to know them. Once they have faces, rather than being assumed to be like the news and media, their humanity wins out.

Regardless of how welcoming Cola is or is not, we are relocating there. I'm actually excited to be part of the community and hope our example will set the stage for friendly, loving interaction. Our actual sexual orientation is a relatively small part of our lives - beyond that, we work, shop, socialize, attend church, pay bills, etc., like everyone else...

[JS1]

Since when does gay = liberal and no kids? I'm gay, yet I have children, own a gun, and can't stand Barack Obama. If you're looking for a city or even a neighborhood with childless liberals, you won't find it in this state.

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by Coladude

I agree. I live in Columbia, and although there are quite a few gay people here, there are no "white collar" gay gatherings or groups. It is really a pretty dirty town and very separated. I have found Greenville to be a very progressive city, doing many things to make a more close-nit community! My choice is Greenville, overall.

Ever heard of the Gay and Lesbian Business Guild in Columbia? You may live in Columbia, but you obviously don't know much about the gay community here.

[Greenville]

Originally Posted by waccamatt

Ever heard of the Gay and Lesbian Business Guild in Columbia? You may live in Columbia, but you obviously don't know much about the gay community here.

Or, maybe he is aware of it and simply doesn't think it is that great.

[donnacreation]

Stay out of Sumter SC. It is a homophobic town-especially for male homosexuals. It's also racist and poverty stricken. There is a small upper middle class,mostly doctors and lawyers, who live in upscale subdivisions. With very little wealth, it is a town with NO upscale anything-shopping, dining , entertainment. A very sad and depressing place rife with crime , misery and fundamentalist churches.

[Akhenaton06]

Originally Posted by Greenville

Or, maybe he is aware of it and simply doesn't think it is that great.

But to be fair, he didn't say there were no great "white collar" gay gatherings or groups; he said there were none, period.

[Columbiadata]

The S.C. Gay and Lesbian Business Guild is in Columbia and has over 200 active members. They network and meet for dinner at a different restaurant each month, not all 200 but 20-30 of them.

[gaflsc]

Originally Posted by Rapture

Anywhere you go there are closed minded, ignorant people....

Careful....some do not believe or admire the gay lifestyle due to religious convictions. That does not make those people closed minded or ignorant.

Lowes & Home Depot do sell some rather broad brushes in their paint department. Did you pick up a few?

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by gaflsc

Careful....some do not believe or admire the gay lifestyle due to religious convictions. That does not make those people closed minded or ignorant.

Lowes & Home Depot do sell some rather broad brushes in their paint department. Did you pick up a few?

Some people used that excuse to justify slavery, also.

[itchingtomove]

Smith7,
I have stumbled on this thread because I am considering moving to SC. I am also not gay but do want to live in a community that is gay friendly. I think it's a good barometer for the other open minded qualities I am looking for. I'm picking up what you're laying down!