In a front page story, Tuesday, July 7, the New York Times chronicled the recent history of anti-gay and homophobic activity in South Carolina.

The article covered anti-gay events from the May 1996 passage of a Greenville County Council anti-gay resolution through recent hate crimes against Regan Wolf .

The Times article put an emphasis on how opposition to gay pride activities has colored the rhetoric coming from politicians and conservative clergy during the current election year.

In a statement about the article, Tony Snell, S.C. Gay & Lesbian Pride Movement (GLPM) Co-Chair, remarked, "I think it accurately describes the relationship between Republican politicians in this state and the religious fundamentalists they court in order to get elected. It's not unique to South Carolina, but it seems to be getting worse."

In fact the Times article points out that "in the last 14 months, Gov. David M. Beasley, Lieut. Gov. Robert L. Peeler, Attorney General Charles M. Condon and Rep. Bob Inglis, who is running for the U.S. Senate this year against longtime Democratic incumbent Ernest F. Hollings, have all attended family-values rallies that were organized in reaction to gay rights marches."

"This is nothing new," says Snell. "Throughout history the powers that be, or want to be, have tried to use fear and prejudice to mobilize support - just as simplistic readings of Biblical Scripture have frequently been used to justify hatred and persecution of one class or another – including African-Americans, Jews, women, and even Protestants at one point in history.

"This candy-coated pretense that they can hate the sin but love the sinner has got to go. The kind of people that nearly killed Regan Wolf and painted 'Jesus weren't born for you faggot' next to her tortured body don't draw as fine a line between the perceived sin and the perceived sinner. It's a self-perpetuating relationship of fear and hatred that can only get better when gays and lesbians, and their family, friends and neighbors speak out as a majority and say that enough is enough."

A number of prominent South Carolinians on both sides of the issue are quoted in the article including representatives of GLPM; David Eckstrom, Republican nominee in the race for state education superintendent; Burroughs & Chapin's CEO, Doug Wendel; and GOP primary candidate for state agriculture commissioner, Jim Gordon, with his infamous remarks blaming homosexuals for the decline in farming. Governor David Beasley declined to be interviewed.

The article closed with a quote by Myrtle Beach Mayor Mark McBride who said in defense of the brand of the traditional family values that excludes gay people: "People don't come [to Myrtle Beach] to be subjugated to all the progressiveness, all the sophistication, all the enlightenment of big city life."

Information About Lesbian/ Gay South Carolina: www.scpride98.org