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History of Pride in Spartanburg

2009

A photograph of Spartanburg's first Pride March in 2009. The very front of the march is led by six people carrying a large banner for the 'South Carolina Pride Movement' organization, which helped with the first event.'

The first Pride March in Spartanburg, SC took place on June 20, 2009. The dream to have a Pride March and Celebration began in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Spartanburg in 2008, when members of the church decided that the time to celebrate Pride in Spartanburg was now. They planned, worked, and organized, and hosted that first 2009 event on the church grounds. You can learn all about this first event by listening to or reading the transcript of P. K. Garmon’s Oral History interview.

I heard that after [UUCS] had voted to become a "Welcoming Congregation" and that was all done, the committee was meeting again. They wanted to discuss... What next? And I had heard that they were going to meet, and I wasn't on the committee, but I attended that meeting anyway.

It was just like four or five people sitting around a small table in the Fellowship Hall. And they said, "Okay, yay us, we got this done. What should we do next?" And they said that they wanted to see what they could do to take those ideals out into the larger Spartanburg community. So, even though I wasn't on the committee, I was sitting there with them and somebody at that table, I'm not sure who it was—I think it was me, but I'm not sure who it was—said, as a joke, "Why don't we have a gay pride parade?" And everybody laughed, because, of course, it was a joke, and it was hilarious. A gay pride parade in Spartanburg? Are you kidding me?

So, we went on and we were talking about some more stuff and then, really, I said, "Well, why not? Why can't we do that?" So, at that meeting, we decided that we would form a group...

—P. K. Garmon, interviewed by Christen Bennet

The church soon handed off hosting the event to an unaffiliated nonprofit group so that it could grow beyond the church grounds. Soon Upstate Pride was hosting not one but two yearly celebrations and marches in Spartanburg and Greenville.

Pride 2009 Photos

A photograph of Rev. Meg Barnhouse speaking at the first Spartanburg Pride Event. A photograph of Spartanburg's first Pride March in 2009. In this photo the march has just ended and people are walking up a grassy hill to the festival. A photograph of a marcher at the 2009 Spartanburg Pride March. Their shirt reads 'I am the face of your discrimination.' A photograph of a currently unknown person enjoying the pride event. They have a tie tied around their forehead and are holding a camera while smiling at the camera taking the photo. A photograph of the 2009 Pride March with varied people and signs. A photograph of a marcher at the 2009 Spartanburg Pride March. They hold a handwritten sign that reads 'I love my gay son.' A photograph of a marcher at the 2009 Spartanburg Pride March. They are holding an umbrella with rainbow colors and smiling. Other people march around them. An overhead photograph of the 2009 Pride March walking down a street. A photo of marchers walking up a grassy hill to the pride festival after the march. In the foregound is a family with children in a stroller.

The 2010 Pride March walks calmly by a lign of protestors with signs.

Early Years

The first few years of the festival and march saw the management of the event handed off to the nonprofit and newly formed Upstate Pride Coalition. After its first year at the UU Church of Spartanburg in 2009, it spent 2010 at the Train Depot on Magnolia street, then moved in 2011 to Barnet Park, which became its most frequent venue. In these early years, protestors were plentiful and came in large groups, but attendees always outnumbered protestors.

In 2012, when marriage equality did not exist in South Carolina and no one thought it would for a very long time, Rev. Meg Barnhouse offered a blessing for couples attending Spartanburg Pride at Barnet Park who would like to be married but could not wed legally. You can see some photos of this touching event in the scrolling photo section below. To the right is an image of the second Spartanburg Pride March in 2010 in which the attendees march calmly by a line of protestors with signs.

Pride Photos of Years 2010-2012

2010 An organizer holds up the proclamation from the City of Spartanburg and signed by mayor Junie White that declared that day, June 19, 2010, to be the City's official Pride Day. The neocities.orgmunity clearly praise Mayor White for this neocities.orgmitment; in other photos, there are people holding signs that say 'Mayor White Has Courage.' Mayor White reads the above proclamation; a sign reading 'We Love Mayor White' can be seen. The 2010 march. Marchers smile and walk on the street; above them, protestors with signs lean out of upper levels of the Magnolia Street PArking Garage. A marcher with a big smile on their face whirls their skirt. 2010. A photo of the 2010 venue at the train depot. It's not a great photo of the festival, but I don't have a great photo of the festival yet. In the center of the photo stands an atendee looking to my eyes a touch confused. The 2010 Pride March. Here a sign for PFLAG Spartanburg, carried by several marchers, is leading the crowd. Image of the 2010 march. In the center of the photo a person smiles and waves to the camnera. They wear a sign on their body that reads 'straight for equality.' Several attendees of the 2010 festival wearing tie-dye. One carries a small child on their hip. 2011 In 2011 the Festival took place in Barnet Park for the first time. A wide photograph of thte 2011 Pride March. A marcher wearing an elegant outfit. They are smiling. A performer at the 2011 festival. The 2011 Pride March as it passed in front of the Spartanburg City Hall. A 2011 Pride festival attendee wearing stilts. A 2011 Pride fesitval attendee wearing rainbow jewelry. 2012 A crowd cheering for a performance at the 2012 Pride Festival. A preforming drag queen dressed in a red feather gown. People preparing for the march outside of Barnet Park. 2012: Image of Barnhouse's event. Approzimated a dozen couples stand in front of a stage listening to the speaker. Most couples are holding hands or embracing. 2012: Image of Barnhouse's event. Meg stands in a preists' uniform, prepared to give her blessing to the gathered couples. 2012: Image of Barnhouse's event. A row of paired couples stand in front of the stage where they were called to stand, other attendees watch from the seating behind. 2012: Image of Barnhouse's event. A couple watch the speaker, both smiling and teary-eyed. 2012: Image of Barnhouse's event. A couple stare into each other's eyes while holding hands. 2012: Two people hold hands.

2026

In January of 2026, Upstate Pride announced that they would no longer host a Pride event in Spartanburg. Several organizations supporting LGBTQIA+ people in the Upstate, determined to have a Pride Celebration in Spartanburg, immediately banded together to create the Spartanburg Pride Coalition. Our shared goal and promise is to have Pride in Spartanburg this year and every year.

Though the first Spartanburg Pride took place in June, in later years and after much discussion it was agreed to start hosting our Pride events in the fall instead to avoid the heat of the summer. When we sent out a survey to our community in the spring of 2026, they asked for a fall event again. The Spartanburg Pride Coalition intends to host pride on the first Saturday of November every year.

Thank you to the folks at Spartanburg County Public Libraries for generously providing all of the photos on this page from their historical archives! All photographs on this page unless otherwise noted are sourced from the collections of the Spartanburg County Public Libraries.