We woke up Sunday morning dispirited and outraged by the headlines of a gunman opening fire at Club Q in Colorado Springs. As of now, we know that five individuals were killed and at least 25 others injured. The impacts of this unspeakable tragedy reverberate through the LGBTQ community, Colorado Springs and our entire state. The shooting occurred only moments before Transgender Day of Remembrance, which commemorates trans folks whose lives were lost as a result of anti-transgender violence.
The LGBTQ community deserves, like all of us, to feel safe and protected from discrimination, hate and violence. Like many LGBTQ spaces across the nation, Club Q serves as a place of community, belonging and joy for LGBTQ folks. In a statement, Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said Club Q is “a safe haven for our LGTBQ citizens.” Health could not be further from reach than when you must fear for your safety.
Our hearts are with the survivors, friends and families of deceased and injured, law enforcement, first responders, local journalists, as well as the LGBTQ community in its entirety. We pay our respects to you all and those who lost their lives in this senseless shooting.
Devastatingly enough, this type of hate-fueled violence elicits tremendous pain for victims, survivors and their families. It calls attention to the need for individual and collective healing from the trauma, grief, fear and distress that now echoes across the Springs, our state and the LGBTQ community. Yet again, the mental health impacts of mass shootings are deeply real.
View and share mental health resources:
- LGBTQ+ National Hotline: 1-888-843-4564
- The Trevor Project: Call, chat and text (available 24/7)
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 or chat online (available 24/7)
- Colorado Crisis Services: Call 1-844-493-8255 or text “TALK” to 38255 (available 24/7).
- Coping During Tragedy, WellPower
Make a donation to support the victims, their families and the LGBTQ community:
Attend a community healing event:
- The Center on Colfax, Monday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m.
- Location: ReelWorks Denver, 1399 35th St., Denver, CO 80205
- Register for the event
- Vista Grande Community Baptist Church, Monday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m.
- Location: 5460 N. Union Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO 80918
- Club Q Community Grief and Mourning
Learn more about gun laws in Colorado: