Stand With GGMC!

October 1, 2026 was a difficult day for the Greenville Gay Men’s Chorus.

After months of waiting and uncertainty, the South Carolina Arts Commission Board voted 5–3 to decline providing the operating funds the Commission had previously recommended for the Chorus. We are deeply disappointed and concerned about what this decision means not only for GGMC, but also for the future of state arts funding in South Carolina.

This is about far more than $13,000 this year or a three-year grant cycle. For the Chorus, this funding represents a significant line item in our operating budget. Losing it creates a real and lasting financial challenge, affecting our ability to cover administrative costs, support artists and staff, put on performances, and continue serving our community.

We believe the Greenville Gay Men’s Chorus deserves the same opportunity for SCAC funding as every other arts organization. Funding should be based on the quality, impact, and value of the work, not on the identity of the artists or the communities they represent. We believe this decision was discriminatory and unconstitutional. We are evaluating our legal options and intend to continue fighting this outcome.

We are also worried about what comes next.

If an LGBTQ+ arts organization can lose recommended support from the state arts agency, what programs at other arts institutions will be cut next? What happens when art does not align with a particular board member or legislator’s conservative “ideology?” And what will the long-term impact be if arts commission funding becomes increasingly denied to minority artists?

These are questions not just for GGMC, but for the entire arts community.

Even with this disappointing news, we have one bright spot for which we are thankful today, and that is for each one of YOU! You have donated, shared our story, attended our events, and stood beside us during this time. Your support has made a tremendous difference. It has reminded us that we are not alone, and it has given us the strength to keep going.

Since the SCAC’s August 20th meeting, you have donated over $21,000 to our GoFundMe campaign. We plan to keep this fundraiser active for a little while longer, because we still need your help as we navigate the financial impact of this decision on the Chorus and our work in the community. If you can contribute, please do! Every dollar is appreciated and needed, especially today.

Please know that we are not going anywhere.

The Greenville Gay Men’s Chorus has spent years helping build a place for LGBTQ+ people within our state’s arts and cultural community. We are proud of the work we do, the performances we produce, and the music we make. We will not be deterred, and neither should you.

We will keep singing, creating, and standing up for the right of every person to exist, to make art, to be heard, and to thrive.

Our voices belong here. And yours do, too.