OUR HISTORY Formed in 2008, Upstate Pride SC (UPSC) had a grassroots beginning. There was a need for a localized advocacy group to provide leadership in the LGBTQ community. A year after UPSC was founded as a 501(c)3 organization, members of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Spartanburg held the first ever March & Festival, drawing around 500 marchers in an impressive showing of support. Since then, the organization has continued promoting equality and acceptance. The number of annual March & Festival attendees has risen, visibility in local media has steadily grown, and the organization has found new ways to serve the Upstate. OUR MISSION Upstate Pride SC empowers people of all gender expressions and sexual identities in the Upstate of South Carolina by promoting acceptance through education, advocacy and networking.