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Five Murdered at a Colorado Springs Gay Club
3 years ago
General
Last night in Colorado Springs, a maniac with an AR-15 opened fire at a gay nightclub called Club Q, murdering five people and injuring 18. This happened literally blocks from my apartment.
I'm not big on the club scene but I went to a few shows every now and then. They'd do the Rocky Horror Picture Show around Halloween. Club Q was tucked behind a Subway and a miniature golf course. Nothing special, but in a town as conservative as Colorado Springs, it was a lifeline. This town is home to several military installations and megachurches. Focus on the Family is here. It was ground zero for a lot of think tanks that pushed anti-gay laws. At one point we were called the Hate State. People ridicule safe spaces, but this is exactly what Club Q was for scared young queer people who grew up being told they were abominations or could be fixed with conversion therapy.
As more people have moved here and the culture became more diverse, things have gradually changed for the better. Colorado's governor is openly gay. Colorado Springs even has a Pride celebration. But all that anger and hate doesn't just vanish. It goes underground. It becomes craftier and more perverse. It doesn't materialize in a torch-wielding mob: instead it shows up at school boards and state legislatures, pulling books from libraries, banning trans kids from sports, pretending to "protect the children." And then it spills into violence. November 20th is the Trans Day of Remembrance. This shit isn't a coincidence.
This hurts a lot. It hits home. My family moved to Colorado Springs and had been here just months when two teenagers shot up their high school in Littleton, just an hour away. It's terrifying to think that Columbine, once the most infamous mass shooting, isn't even in the top ten deadliest anymore. Then there was the Aurora Theater Shooting. In 2017, a deranged man shot three people at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood. Now this happened just down the street. It's literally getting closer to me each time.
I don't know what to do. I don't know how to fix this. I'm mostly just in shock at this point, but I know stronger feelings are close behind. I might take a break from art and social media for a while.
Please please take care of yourself, hug your loved ones, and keep being your beautiful queer selves.
I'm not big on the club scene but I went to a few shows every now and then. They'd do the Rocky Horror Picture Show around Halloween. Club Q was tucked behind a Subway and a miniature golf course. Nothing special, but in a town as conservative as Colorado Springs, it was a lifeline. This town is home to several military installations and megachurches. Focus on the Family is here. It was ground zero for a lot of think tanks that pushed anti-gay laws. At one point we were called the Hate State. People ridicule safe spaces, but this is exactly what Club Q was for scared young queer people who grew up being told they were abominations or could be fixed with conversion therapy.
As more people have moved here and the culture became more diverse, things have gradually changed for the better. Colorado's governor is openly gay. Colorado Springs even has a Pride celebration. But all that anger and hate doesn't just vanish. It goes underground. It becomes craftier and more perverse. It doesn't materialize in a torch-wielding mob: instead it shows up at school boards and state legislatures, pulling books from libraries, banning trans kids from sports, pretending to "protect the children." And then it spills into violence. November 20th is the Trans Day of Remembrance. This shit isn't a coincidence.
This hurts a lot. It hits home. My family moved to Colorado Springs and had been here just months when two teenagers shot up their high school in Littleton, just an hour away. It's terrifying to think that Columbine, once the most infamous mass shooting, isn't even in the top ten deadliest anymore. Then there was the Aurora Theater Shooting. In 2017, a deranged man shot three people at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood. Now this happened just down the street. It's literally getting closer to me each time.
I don't know what to do. I don't know how to fix this. I'm mostly just in shock at this point, but I know stronger feelings are close behind. I might take a break from art and social media for a while.
Please please take care of yourself, hug your loved ones, and keep being your beautiful queer selves.
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