COLUMBIA, S.C. — From early drag shows, to gay bars, to protests, Columbia's LGBTQ+ history runs deep.
“40 years ago, the first gay and Lesbian organization for the state was founded and is still in existence," said University of South Carolina Director of Women and Gender Studies Ed Madden.
Madden moved to South Carolina more than 20 years ago to accept his role at the university. One of his first stops was the Harriet Hancock Center, which has been a safe place for many LGBTQ people in Columbia.
The first community center opened in September 1993 at the corner of Rosewood Drive and South Shandon in Columbia, SC and was one of the first gay and lesbian community centers in the southeastern United States.
"I was desperate to find community," said Madden. And he found just that. Madden's been a volunteer at the center ever since.
In learning and teaching about Columbia's LGBTQ movement, Madden explained USC students were vital in the LGBTQ movement in Columbia.
"40 years ago students at USC organized the first gay and lesbian student group and sought recognition. It was denied," said Madden. "They had to go to federal court to finally be recognized."
Several years after that, Madden said many in the community took bold actions to fight for acceptance during the AIDS, HIV epidemic.
“On a Monday afternoon on Gervais and Main, 40 something people were arrested because they went out in the middle of the street and laid out like they were dead to protest policies about aids and HIV in this state," said Madden.
Madden said the movement hit a turning point in 1990 at Columbia's first Pride march to the statehouse steps.
"I love When I see those pictures of all those gays and lesbians at the very first march in 1990 just storming up the statehouse steps just standing there and claiming it as their own," said Madden.
However, most of these stories were often untold. In an effort to highlight this hidden history, Historic Columbia created the LGBTQ Columbia history project. The project began in 2019 when Historic Columbia partnered with the Harriet Hancock LGBT Center and the Queer Cola Oral History & Digital Archive Project to compile the "often unseen and untold stories of LGBTQIA+ life in the Midlands."
“It's a little bit difficult to track because stories of this community were not really top of mind," said Historic Columbia’s executive director Robin Waites. "They're not stories people would have in the newspaper in a positive light.”
Waites and Madden explain while many historic moments can be hard to acknowledge, they are important to remember.
RELATED: LGBTQ Columbia History Initiative seeks to preserve, tell stories of city's LGBTQIA+ community
“It's a way of acknowledging that a lot of people did a lot of work to make today possible," said Madden.
It's something Blake Gibbons, a member of the LGBTQ community in Columbia, never takes for granted.
“I'm thankful to be able to go out to pride parades, go out to out fest, go out and be active in the community and not have to fear for my life or fear for my rights," said Gibbons.
However, many in the community still acknowledge the work is far from over.
"The fact that a discriminatory law passed in 1988 was just ruled constitutional last year, tells us that history is still in the making," said Madden.
As Columbia's 5th annual out fest comes up Saturday, Madden reflected on how he's seen the movement change over the years.
"Pride marches were very political. it was about visibility and demanding rights," said Madden. "Now, its a community festival. There are tons of people there its just a celebration of community more than political activism."