Coalition Partner Spotlight: Talking with Pride Link on Progress Toward Healthier Upstate Communities
Keona Prude is the Communications and Outreach Coordinator at Pride Link, an organization founded in 2018 aimed at to improving the quality of life for all LGBTQ+ people through health and wellness programs, social support services, and assistance accessing resources.
We got to talk to her about the recent opening of the LGBTQ+ Community Center and Wellness Clinic Opening in Greensville, a drop-in service that makes accessing health care easy and affordable by providing funding to cover fees for a variety of care needs.
Keona also shares her lessons on how our communities can continue to show up for one another as well as ourselves.
Note: This Interview was between Keona Prude and Eli Bundy, an LGBTQ youth in South Carolina .
Who is Pride Link? What services do you offer for LGBTQ+ individuals in South Carolina?
Pride Link is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit founded in 2018 to fill a critical gap in services and support for the LGBTQ+ community. Pride Link’s mission is to improve the quality of life for all LGBTQ+ people in the ten-county region of Upstate, SC. We envision a thriving Upstate community where all LGBTQ+ people are strong, safe, and successful. We serve the LGBTQ+ community of all ages through health and wellness programs, social support services, and assistance accessing resources.
Last year, we opened a community health drop-in program on Nov 9, a mobile community center that provides health and mental health screenings across the Upstate area, and we provide financial assistance to LGBTQ+ people in accessing some healthcare services like hormone therapy and mental health counseling. Our support services include a youth group for LGBTQ+ youth ages 13-19, a BIPOC meetup space for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color LGBTQ+ folks, and we’re developing an LGBTQ+ Elders group. We host a biennial youth conference and hope to continue this in 2022.
Could you talk about your new community center? How will your work expand in this new space?
Pride Link, in partnership with Amaryllis Counseling and 864Pride, are opening the Queer Wellness Center (QWC) in Greenville on November 6, 2021. This space will be the first community center and wellness clinic for LGBTQ+ people of all ages in Upstate, SC.
There are over 130,000 LGBTQ+ people living in the Upstate area and this community still faces discrimination, isolation, and health disparities today. The QWC will offer a space for LGBTQ+ people of all ages to access social support, health and wellness services, and connection to LGBTQ+ affirming resources. Plans for the center include a regular schedule of on-site healthcare and social service providers, support groups, mental health counseling, workshops, social events, fun activities, and more. Drop in hours to see providers will begin on Tuesday, November 9th from 9am to 12pm and Wednesday, November 10th, from 4pm to 7pm, and will continue weekly on the same days.
What steps can we take as LGBTQ+ individuals in South Carolina to take care of each other and ourselves?
So many LGBTQ+ folks in South Carolina have fought hard every day just to survive and get by. We have faced outright discrimination, societal stigma, and plenty of systemic barriers in all aspects of our lives. Yet, we are extremely resilient. To take care of each other, LGBTQ+ folks can continue building innovative, community-led solutions like we have been for decades. We can continue to share knowledge and resources with each other so we can get connected to the things that will help us thrive.
To take care of ourselves, we can stand firm in our power, question the status quo, and give ourselves permission to rest. We can honor our lived experience in whatever ways feel most aligned to us. We can connect with others to find community. And we can always affirm our right, just like everyone else’s right, to be treated with nothing short of absolute dignity and celebration of who we are in our fullest.
Are you planning to expand into other parts of the state? (no pressure to do so, just curious)
We have big dreams at Pride Link and we won’t stop ourselves short by saying “never.” However, our priority right now is to build a strong foundation of serving those in the ten county Upstate area and we still want to expand our programming in some of the more rural counties in this service area before we begin to imagine expanding beyond the Upstate.
Moving forward, where are we going in the coming months and years for LGBTQ+ South Carolinians?
In just over 3 years, Pride Link has seen growth and change in the Upstate area for LGBTQ+ folks and compared to 10 or 20 years ago, tremendous progress has been made for LGBTQ+ equity. Still, we are nowhere near where we need to be as a culture in terms of creating environments, workplaces, schools, and systems where all LGBTQ+ people can thrive. There is much work to be done.
We hope that Pride Link can be a small part of that, along with community leadership, grassroots groups, and larger partnerships to create an Upstate where every LGBTQ+ person has access to safe and affordable housing, enough to eat, a job that pays a living wage and treats them with dignity, access to culturally competent healthcare, and a community of support and love surrounding them. That’s the path we’re on and we’re excited to get there with LGBTQ+ folks as our leaders.