RD: Yeah, when I got to Clemson and I started dipping my toe in the water of coming out. KA: -just someone else that was like you. KA: After that, when were you again able to connect with someone, perhaps more long-term? And not just a partner, but a mentor, a friend. KA: And that was the first time you’d had a relationship with someone? Just for a short period of time, six months, though. I did have a boyfriend at the beach when I was 15. I suspected, and it turns out the ones I suspected did end up being gay, some fellow high school students, or junior high students. KA: Were you aware of anyone else that was gay? But there was just nothing positive out there in a small town in South Carolina. That was the only… There was never a positive thing until Harvey Milk was assassinated. You were just so in fear of giving up any clue whatsoever because in those days, I had never seen, in the media, that word homosexuality used except because a pedophile had been arrested, or someone had been killed for being gay. (Laughs) I beat up a boy pretty bad, but it worked, I never got harassed in such a horrible way after that.īut I think the main thing I would say is that it felt so dangerous. I wasn’t effeminate but not overly masculine either, and so the kids… And I was very different, and so my nickname during school was “Gay Ray.” I got harassed a lot until seventh grade, until I threw an elbow and it never happened again. Well, I knew I was gay very early, at the age of 10, and so I was hyper-aware of how dangerous it was to be gay. And what was it like growing up in Marion? RD: Yeah, David Drew, Elizabeth Drew, and Robert Drew. So, can you tell me when and where were you born? We’re just going to start a little bit with your roots. Thank you for speaking with me today about your experiences. KA: And Ray, could you please spell your name? My name is Katharine Allen, and today I’m speaking with… Katharine Allen: Today is September 9, 2021, and we’re at 2025 Marion Street in Columbia, South Carolina. Following his time in Colorado, Drew moved to Mexico where he operated a luxury yacht tour business and also spent time organizing on behalf of homeless LGBTQ youth.Īmerican Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) | Clemson University | Gay-Straight Alliance | HIV/AIDS Crisis | LGBTQ Parents and Adoption | Marriage Equality | Over-Incarceration | Puerto Vallarta, Mexico | South Carolina Equality | Stone Castle (Greenville, SC) Drew later served as the executive director of South Carolina Equality and the CEO of the Colorado branch of the ACLU. After moving to San Diego in the 1990s, he founded Family Matters, a group which supported LGBT parents.
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Drew discussed his extensive experience in nonprofit organizations. Interview includes discussion of Drew’s upbringing in Marion, harassment and bullying he experienced in school, his memories of the gay social scene in Greenville and the bar The Stone Castle, and his activism on behalf of many issues throughout his life including gay rights, women’s rights, and the rights of incarcerated individuals. Drew attended Clemson University in the early 1980s, where he attempted to form the first gay rights organization on campus. From the age of 10, Drew knew he was gay. Ray Drew was born in Marion, South Carolina, in 1962. His father, former Liverpool defender Glenn Hysén, is currently competing on the show.LGBTQ 056 Preferred pronouns: He/him/his SummaryĬ. Off the field Anton Hysén is also known as the seventh champion of Sweden’s version of Dancing with the Stars. His move across the Atlantic is expected to happen in April ahead of the new season. I’ve had the opportunity to have some conversation with Hysén about this move while it has been in the works and while he knows he’s playing in a lower league in America, he feels that it’s a better opportunity to get exposure and playing time in a country he loves.
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The Mutiny are in the fourth division of the American soccer pyramid, on par with the USL Premier Development League, and eligible for US Open Cup competition. Hysén came out exactly three years ago in an interview with Swedish soccer magazine Offside and in this site’s first interview told us that one of his career dreams was to play in the United States.įor the past four seasons he has played for Utsiktens BK in Sweden’s third division. Out Swedish soccer player Anton Hysén has signed with the Myrtle Beach Mutiny of the National Premier Soccer League.