For the third year in a row, the Grand Strand's gay community is holding a pride festival. Organizers have planned a three-day event they say will be bigger than in past years.
Back in 1998, Myrtle Beach hosted what organizers say was the biggest gay pride event ever in the Carolinas, with nearly 10,000 people attending.
The more recent festivals are not nearly the size of that one in '98, but organizers say the newer events are growing, in both attendance and acceptance.
One of the organizers of the '98 festival says this year's festival is more social and less political than it was back then.
"I don't think we are still having the problems we were having in 1998. It's a lot more, this community is a lot more gay positive and gay friendly than it used to be," said activist Patrick Evans.
The chairman of this year's event says he loves Myrtle Beach and is proud of the way the city has welcomed the gay community.
"Because in a small town like this, it would really only take one person to stop an event like this, and we really found acceptance and open arms everywhere," said Wesley Tyler.
Tyler says that may be due to the culture of the Grand Strand, where people come in from other places with more tolerant mind sets and attitudes.
"I've been to events where there were protesters, some were crazy violent protesters, some were peaceful, but we haven't had that."
Gay marriage is an issue that's sparked controversy all over the country, but Tyler says not as much here, because this area seems to be less political.
Tyler says someday, perhaps ten years from now, South Carolina will join other states in allowing same sex marriage. It may happen, he says, with a grassroots effort from the gay community. "But it's going to take a lot of work."
Tyler expects about a thousand people to attend the three days of events this weekend.
