APRIL 24.2004 • Q-NOTES
Regional
11
Johanna Haynes new SCEC Chair
from page 1
to become actively involved with SCEC.
“I wasn’t involved politically in Atlanta.
I just never felt the need.” she explains.
“But here, I’m one of the lucky ones — I’m
blessed. I’ve got a good job, I’ve got
friends and family that support me and I
can be out. So if I don’t do it — there
aren’t a lot of people that can. I feel I need
to do it.”
Haynes’ predecessor — Nekki Shutt —
was based out of Columbia — giving her a
bit more accessibility to statewide issues.
Haynes doesn’t think her Six Mile address
will have any negative impact on her role
as SCEC chair.
“It’s one of the downfalls of having a
statewide organization,” she explains.
“But 1 make it a point to try and attend as
many things as I can.”
She’s worked directly with a number of
South Carolina politicians over LGBT
issues, including Republican Senator Mike
Fair (an experience she describes as
■futile’) and some of the state’s good guys,
like Democrat Senators Robert Ford,
Maggie Glover and Gilda Cobb-Hunter.
“I’m very appreciative of those that are
standing up for us,” says Haynes. “There
are a few and they’re doing a great job at
a high price for themselves, because it’s so
unpopular right now.”
Despite the challenges LGBT folk in the
state face, Haynes says she’s ready to inti-
ate change.
“SCEC’s mission is to secure human
and civil rights for GLBT people of South
Carolina,” Haynes says matter-of-factly.
“Our focus was, and still is, on educat
ing. Not just the people who don’t know
us, but our own people. There are plenty
of people out there just like me who aren’t
involved, and feel just like I did”
We’re also trying to help people under
stand the differences between marriage
and civil union and why civil marriage is
important.”
In addition to Hayrtes’ role as chair for
SCEC, she is also director of case manage
ment for AIDS Upstate. Her partner, Clyo
Wilson, works in cancer research for
Cancer Centers of the Carolinas.
“We met through mutual friends,”
Haynes recalls. “And we’re very happy
here now. I’ve gotten real use to the quiet
and I love the small town pace.”
Like many LGBT individuals, Haynes
has come to realize that you don’t have to
live in a city the size of New York, San
Francisco or Atlanta to have an impact on
the struggle for LGBT civil rights.
“Not everyone lives in Atlanta or San
Francisco,” says Haynes. “A lot of gay
people live in smaller metropolitan and
rural areas. People in Atlanta and San
Francisco already have a lot of the rights
that people in parts of South Carolina only
dream of. They’re able to be out, take their
partners to office parties and put pictures
of their family on their desk. You can
make a big change in the world around
you by taking those beginning steps when
you’re comfortable.
“it’s in places like these smaller towns
where all the false beliefs and myths about
the 'dangers’ of gay people exist. They’re
here, they’re not in the big city. 1 think it is
important for us to stay here and make a
difference here, especially if we love and
appreciate the smaller town lifestyle This
is our home, too. We should be able to be
free anywhere.”
info:
www.scequality.org
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