LGBTQ organizations speak out about Club Q mass shooting

America’s LGBTQ nonprofits have expressed outrage and frustration over the weekend’s mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs.

Colorado Springs’ Club Q released the statement below to GLAAD about the deadly mass shooting at the club late Saturday night. At least five people were killed and 25 others were injured.

“Club Q is in shock, and in deep mourning, with the family and friends who had loved ones senselessly taken from them. We condemn the horrific violence that shattered an evening of celebration for all in the LGBTQ community of Colorado Springs and our allies. Club Q offers our greatest gratitude to those who moved immediately to stop the gunman and prevent more loss of life and injury. Club Q has always provided a space for LGBTQ people and our ally friends to celebrate together. 

“We will always speak up for and support everyone’s right to be themselves and be safe. We demand that those who spread disgusting rhetoric and encourage violence stop this behavior immediately before more people get hurt. We urge with everything in our heart for every person to do what they can to speak up for LGBTQ people and everyone’s right to be safe.”

Statements from other local organizations can be found here. GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis released the following statement:

“Our hearts are broken for the victims of the horrific tragedy in Colorado Springs, and their loved ones. This unspeakable attack has robbed countless people of their friends and family and an entire community’s sense of safety. You can draw a straight line from the false and vile rhetoric about LGBTQ people spread by extremists and amplified across social media, to the nearly 300 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced this year, to the dozens of attacks on our community like this one. That this mass shooting took place on the eve of on Transgender Day of Remembrance, when we honor the memory of the trans people killed the prior year, deepens the trauma and tragedy for all in the LGBTQ community. The media must stop spreading misinformation and elevate the truth that LGBTQ people exist, belong and want to live in peace and safety. Elected officials and corporate leaders must act immediately to prioritize this truth, and protect everyone’s safety.”

The Colorado Healing Fund has been activated in response to the Club Q tragedy. The fund is an established, secure, single point donation site to support the survivors and families of this tragedy.  For more information or to make a donation, go to www.coloradohealingfund.org and click on the “Support Colorado Healing Fund” button.

In response to the mass shooting last night at Club Q, an LGBTQ+ bar in Colorado Springs, the Los Angeles LGBT Center issued the following statement: 

While the situation is still unfolding, reports confirm that at least five people were killed with another 18 injured in an event involving an active shooter at Club Q, an LGBTQ+ bar in Colorado Springs. The shooting occurred on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), a day which honors members of our trans and gender nonconforming family whose lives have been lost to hate and violence.  Club Q had reportedly planned to honor TDOR today—making this gruesome attack particularly pointed. Today, in addition to those we name for Transgender Day of Remembrance, we also honor the five we lost in Colorado Springs, and commit to honoring their legacy with action.

“The Los Angeles LGBT Center expresses our solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community in Colorado Springs as we collectively mourn those who were senselessly killed in another act of gun violence last night at Club Q. We extend our love to all those who were injured by or witnessed the attack, and thank the first responders and bar patrons who subdued the active shooter,” said Los Angeles LGBT Center CEO Joe Hollendoner. “While the motives of the attack still remain unclear, it’s important—on today of all days—that we name and condemn the increase in anti-LGBTQ+ violence, rhetoric, and political maneuvering in this country. The Center vows to continue to do everything we can to condemn hatred and keep our community safe.”

The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) issued the following statement regarding the tragic shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, CO last night: 

“Our hearts ache for the victims of the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs,” said NCLR Executive Director Imani Rupert-Gordon. “5 lives were stolen, at least 18 more injured, and countless lives will be forever changed.

 It is devastating that they were targeted in a space where we look for community. 

We have seen an unmistakable rise in hateful rhetoric directed at our community. This rhetoric cannot be separated from the tragedy we grieve today. Anti-LGBT messages contribute to a culture that fans the flames of violence toward us. 

On Transgender Day of remembrance, we honor trans folks we have lost to violence and rededicate ourselves to ending this violence. To do this, we need real gun reform. And we need to dismantle the culture that allows hateful rhetoric to give rise to tragedies like this one.”

SAGE Statement on Shooting at Club Q

We at SAGE are deeply saddened and outraged by the hateful and violent attack at Club Q in Colorado Springs and the tragic and senseless loss of more beautiful lives.  We send our solidarity and support for the victims of this terrible shooting and their loved ones, along with the entire Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ community. Manhattan123

As our sage elders have taught us, hate and bigotry do not die easily, and history keeps repeating itself. LGBTQ+ bars and clubs that are places of refuge and celebration for our community have been targeted with hateful violence and deadly attacks for decades.  This country’s ever-growing culture of gun violence and extremism only increases the risks.  As we mark Transgender Day of Remembrance today and honor those we have lost, this attack reminds us that LGBTQ+ people and members of all marginalized communities are increasingly vulnerable to hate crimes and violence.  We will not rest until this hatred and violence is brought to an end, once and for all.  We urge elders in our LGBTQ+ community who may need emotional or other support at this time to call SAGE’s National LGBTQ+ Elder Hotline at 1-877-360-LGBT(5428).

The following can be attributed to Kierra Johnson, Executive Director of the National LGBTQ Task Force: 

“As we wait for answers to what happened and why at Club Q this past weekend, I remain heartbroken and angry. While horrifying, the mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs should not come as a surprise. This is what happens when violent rhetoric and anti-LGBTQ legislation is relentlessly directed at our community.  

We must come together as we learn more – to grieve and remember those we have lost, to honor the brave individuals who fought back and saved the lives of others during the attack and fight for a comprehensive investigation and determine the motivation behind this attack. What we know for sure is that gun violence is an on-going epidemic in this country, and we must find ways to control access to and use of automatic weapons….

We have seen too many candidates (who if elected are expected to represent all their constituents) run campaigns based on anti-LGBTQ fear mongering this election cycle. In just one year, hundreds of pieces of legislation targeting LGBTQ people were introduced. Elected officials in various states have passed policy attempting to erase our community in schools and libraries. These attacks are just a few of the ways the climate of hate has taken shape. And this hate is like a virus. We need only to see the headlines to know that the hate is spreading and devastating religious minorities, Black, Indigenous, Asian, Latine and other People of Color, immigrants and the working poor. 

The people of this country deserve better from the legislators we elect. Thoughts and prayers have never been enough. We need to grieve; we need to heal but we also need Congress to take action. And don’t worry…we will keep dancing, prancing and living out loud but we will also organize and fight back with ferocity, love, and truth until nondiscrimination and gun reform are realized.” 

This article was originally published on our sister site, Queer Forty.