Two South Carolina Arts Commission Members Resign After Vote Denying LGBTQ+ Grants

Key facts

• Russell "Rip" Parks resigned from the South Carolina Arts Commission on Oct. 8, effective Oct. 16.
• Board chair Flavia Harton resigned on Oct. 5, citing a desire to reclaim personal time.
• The commission voted 5-3 on Oct. 1 to deny funding to the Greenville Gay Men's Chorus and Proud Mary Theatre Company.
• David Hodges, Barbara Nwokike, and Heidi Carey voted to approve funding; Parks, Jessica Rourke, Linda Stern, Bhavna Vasudeva, and Danielle Thompson voted no.
• Harton did not vote, as the chair only votes in case of a tie.
• In June emails obtained by The Post and Courier, Parks and Rourke told interim executive director Ashley Brown they intended to vote against funding the two LGBTQ+ groups.
• Parks was appointed to the board by Gov. Henry McMaster in March 2025.
• Mary Adam, executive director of the Greenville Gay Men's Chorus, said she was "absolutely stunned" by the decision.
• Ed Madden, former Columbia poet laureate, said the commission established "a precedent and a mechanism for state-mandated bigotry against LGBTQ artists."
• Matthew Butler of the ACLU of South Carolina criticized the vote as "a dark day for the arts, artistic expression, and the First Amendment."