“Club Q is devastated by the senseless attack on our community”
BY NIC CROSARA, IMAGE VIA TWITTER (@INTELPOINTALERT)
Late on Saturday (19 November) at least five people were killed and many more were injured in a mass shooting at an LGBTQIA nightclub in Colorado Springs. The attack was confirmed by police on Sunday morning (20 November).
At a news conference on Sunday morning, Adrian Vasquez, the chief of the Colorado Spring Police Department, said that the 22-year-old suspected shooter is now in custody.
A statement was made on Club Q’s Facebook Page where a representative wrote: “Club Q is devastated by the senseless attack on our community. Our prays [sic] and thoughts are with all the victims and their families and friends. We thank the quick reactions of heroic customers that subdued the gunman and ended this hate attack.”
The shooter began shooting when he entered the club just before midnight on Saturday, and at least two patrons subdued him. Adrian Vasquez has said: “We owe them a great debt of thanks”.
President Joe Biden issued a statement on Sunday. “While no motive in this attack is yet clear, we know that the [LGBTQIA] community has been subjected to horrific hate violence in recent years.”
“Gun violence continues to have a devastating and particular impact on [LGBTQIA] communities across our nation and threats of violence are increasing.”
While the motive for the attack is still being investigated by officials, anti-LGBTQIA crime is alarmingly on the rise around the world. The Gun Violence Archive states that there have now been 601 mass shootings in the US in this year alone. The LGBTQIA community is under attack. We, and everyone else, deserves to be who we are and love who we love, without fearing for our lives.
News of the shooting came in as the annual observance of Transgender Day of Remembrance rolled in. This annual date is a time where we remember those we have lost as a result of transphobia. It is a time where we reflect on how hate can lead to lives lost. We must do more to protect every member of our community.
A drag brunch was also scheduled for Sunday morning at Club Q. There has been a growing hostility towards drag queens, particularly in the US, where Republicans have targeted drag performers with legislations that would ban drag shows and prohibit drag story hours at libraries and bar minors from attending drag events.
We cannot give in to fear. We must mourn the dead and keep campaigning for the living. We must work towards a world where every LGBTQIA person can live without fear.
Our thoughts are with the loved ones of those who were killed or injured at the shooting and the entire LGBTQIA Colorado Springs community.
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