ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) – Viewers across South Carolina tuned in to state educational television for a glimpse into the lives of gays and lesbians in the Lowcountry, thanks to a documentary by a Rock Hill native.

We are Your Neighbors aired on Nov. 18 as part of South Carolina Educational Television’s series of independent films featuring Southern voices and culture.

The goal of the 26-minute documentary is to show gays and lesbians are no different from their straight neighbors, said Mark McKinney, a Rock Hill native who attended Northwestern High School and now owns and operates Charleston-based Sunhead Projects with his partner, Steve Lepre.

It also could serve as an educational tool at a time when legal bans against same-sex marriage are being put in place or strengthened across the country, McKinney said.

“Often times, the faces of gay and lesbian people are painted by politicians and people like [the Rev.] Jerry Falwell,” said McKinney, 34, a former television meteorologist in Charleston. “We need to get past that and realize we are all God’s children and we should all be treated equally.”

State Sen. Wes Hayes, R-Rock Hill, has not seen the documentary but supports state laws banning recognition of same-sex marriage and would support a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as being between a man and a woman.

Still, he said, a documentary on gay life in the Lowcountry, even on a publicly funded channel, is fine depending on context.

“The fact that there’s a program on ETV that deals with homosexuality doesn’t necessarily offend me,” Hayes said. “Gays and lesbians have the right just as any American to express their opinions.”

On Nov. 2, 11 states amended their constitutions to ban same-sex marriage. Some also banned civil unions for same-sex couples. South Carolina in 1996 banned the recognition of same-sex marriages performed in other states or countries as well as defined marriage as being between a man and a woman.

Rep. Gary Simrill, R-Rock Hill, is working to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot during South Carolina’s 2006 gubernatorial election, and many – from gay rights advocates to politicians dead-set against same-sex marriage – agree that a similar amendment would pass easily in South Carolina.

Gay rights organizations around the state have said that’s more reason to educate the public on what being gay or lesbian is about. In that effort, McKinney said the documentary should go a long way.

Featured in the documentary are gays and lesbians in their 20s through 80s discussing such topics as coming out, religion, myths, family and laws.