‘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 Instagram post on Friday.

“To everyone who donated, shared our campaign, or helped spread the word, thank you. Every contribution, at every level, has made a difference,” the post continued. “Your generosity will help sustain our performances for the next few years as we navigate the uncertainty surrounding future funding at the state arts agency level.”

Adam told Them that the organization plans to re-apply for funding during the next application cycle, pointing out that the independent panel which approves grants had originally funded the group, and saying that it was just a “small handful of board members” who stepped in to deny GGMC.

“We are an arts organization in the state of South Carolina, just like every other arts organization that gets funding, we also deserve it,” Adam said.

Following the October 1 decision, Flavia Harton, the chair of the SCAC, stepped down from her position, per the South Carolina Post and Courier. She began her tenure in May 2025.

While speaking about the commission’s actions, Adam pointed out that GGMC and Proud Mary were not the only instances of people being unjustly denied funding in her view, only the first. The board also denied Latinx artist Shakira Olivera-Bautista an emerging artist grant, per reporting in the Substack Carolina Culture.

During an October 15 board meeting, several board members made disparaging remarks about Olivera-Bautista’s work, with at least one commissioner calling it “not art,” per Carolina Culture. She was denied an $1,800 grant for which she had been previously approved by a panel of professional artists.

The grant application included a series of paintings that referenced the actions of U.S Immigrations and Customs Enforcement based on the Seven Deadly Sins.

Adam said the board’s current treatment of artists does not reflect well on the SCAC and bodes poorly for South Carolina’s arts community. “It is now going to be a dumbing down of investment in the arts in the state of South Carolina in the hands of these small-minded board members,” she said.

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