‘They made the wrong decision’: Greenville Gay Men’s Chorus raises $40K after South Carolina pulls funding

This story originally appeared on Them.After being promised and later denied funding by the South Carolina Arts Commission, the Greenville Gay Men’s Chorus has now raised over $42,000 via GoFundMe to make up the shortfall, already surpassing its original $40,000 goal. “It just really encouraged all of the chorus members and board members that there is a community that is supportive,” Mary Adam, executive director of Greenville Gay Men’s Chorus said in an interview with Them. “The public of South Carolina is happy for us to be a part of the arts community.”Adam added that the outpouring of financial support is a direct rebuke to the South Carolina Arts Commission’s board, which formally voted in October to deny promised funding to the Chorus by a vote of 5-3. The SCAC board had originally delayed those funds in August, singling out the men’s chorus and the Proud Mary Theatre Company, forcing both LGBTQ-focused arts groups to reapply with proof of “artistic merit” in order to qualify for their grants. These were the only two groups targeted out of 180 organizations.“They made the wrong decision,” Adam said. “There’s no reason to have singled us out and discriminated against us.” The process of proving their “artistic merit” proved to have little to do with the organizations’ creative processes and instead reportedly involved answering a litany of questions, including about whether the groups did any work with K-12 schools. Though the process did not end with their state dollars being restored, the community fundraiser has proved to be a boon to the organization’s coffers and spirits. “Following the devastating news that the SCAC board voted to withdraw funding from GGMC, our community has shown up in a big way to make one thing clear: LGBTQ+ voices matter, and they are an essential part of South Carolina’s arts and culture. We couldn’t agree more, and we’re not going anywhere anytime soon!” the organization wrote in an I