COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Midlands is celebrating 34 years of pride with the Famously Hot South Carolina Pride festival kicking off Friday with a parade in downtown Columbia. “To celebrate, to experience queer joy. That’s something that we talk about a lot, is queer joy and queer resilience. Oftentimes, when you hear stories, they might be in a negative light, or we might be focusing on negative legislation or negative experiences. This is our night,” said Dylan Gunnels, president of Famously Hot South Carolina Pride.