Approximately seven miles outside of the centre of Colorado Springs, Club Q, an L.G.B.T.Q. nightclub, had planned a musical drag brunch for the next day.
It had a show scheduled for 8 p.m. on Sunday to commemorate Transgender Day of Remembrance “with a variety of gender identities and performance styles.”
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The late-Saturday attack terrorised a location that had served as a haven for many visitors seeking to escape the frequent hate, prejudice, and violence experienced by L.G.B.T.Q. individuals beyond its doors.
Gay bars have traditionally been safe havens for people who are figuring out who they are or just looking for a place to be themselves without worrying about being rejected.
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Club Q was described as a “fun, inclusive place to hang out” in an online review. According to a commenter, “everyone is so
The reasons behind the Colorado Springs shooting were still being looked into on Sunday, but in recent years, hate-motivated attacks have targeted America’s L.G.B.T.Q. bars and clubs.
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The second deadliest mass shooting in American history took place at Pulse, a packed LGBT nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in 2016, when a gunman killed 49 people and injured 53 others. In a 911 call, the shooter vowed loyalty to the jihadist organisation Islamic State.
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In the West Village of New York City, on November 19, 1980—exactly 42 years before the shooting in Colorado Springs—a shooter killed two men in front of two gay clubs.
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A former transit police officer and son of a minister opened fire with a submachine gun on men gathered in the area.
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