On November 19–20, 2022, a

mass shooting There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 20 ...

occurred at Club Q, an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. Five people were killed, and 25 others were injured, 19 of them by gunfire. The accused, 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, was also injured and taken to a local hospital. Aldrich was charged and

remanded in custody Remand, also known as pre-trial detention, preventive detention, or provisional detention, is the process of detaining a person until their trial after they have been arrested and charged with an offence. A person who is on remand is held i ...

Background

Club Q is located at the 3430 block of North Academy Boulevard and opened in 2002. It was for a time the only

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is ...

club in Colorado Springs, Colorado's second-most populous city with a population of just under 500,000. A 2021 article by

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

-based magazine ''

5280 ''5280'' is an American monthly magazine focused on Denver, Colorado and published by 5280 Publishing, Inc.entfor drag performances, dance parties, and drinks." The shooting occurred on the eve of the

Transgender Day of Remembrance The Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR), also known as the International Transgender Day of Remembrance, has been observed annually (from its inception) on November 20 as a day to memorialize those who have been murdered as a result of transp ...

. Since 2019, Colorado has had a

red flag law In the United States, a red flag law is a gun violence prevention law that permits a state court to order the temporary removal of firearms from a person who they believe may present a danger to others or themselves. A judge makes the determina ...

that allows citizens or law enforcement to petition a court to order the removal of firearms from a potentially dangerous person. Of the 19 states and the District of Columbia with red flag laws, Colorado has among the lowest ''

per capita ''Per capita'' is a Latin phrase literally meaning "by heads" or "for each head", and idiomatically used to mean "per person". The term is used in a wide variety of social sciences and statistical research contexts, including government statistic ...

'' rates of invocation of the law. In opposition to the Colorado statute, more than half of the state's 64 counties declared themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries, including El Paso County where the shooting occurred. According to the ''Los Angeles Blade'', "It is El Paso County Sheriff's Office's explicit policy not to petition for an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) or Temporary Risk Protection Order (TRPO) to remove firearms from at-risk people".

Shooting

According to the police chief, the shooting began when the shooter entered Club Q while a dance party was being held. Wielding an

AR-15 style rifle An AR-15-style rifle is any lightweight semi-automatic rifle based on the Colt AR-15 design. The original ArmaLite AR-15 is a scaled-down derivative of Eugene Stoner's ArmaLite AR-10 design. The then Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation d ...

, carrying multiple magazines of ammunition, and wearing body armor, the shooter immediately began firing at employees and patrons while moving further into the building. Many survivors at first mistook the gunfire for being a part of the music, until the shots continued and occupants saw the

muzzle flash Muzzle flash is the light — both visible and infrared — created by a muzzle blast, which is caused by the sudden release and expansion of high-temperature, high-pressure gases from the muzzle of a firearm during shooting. Both the blast ...

es. Multiple people sheltered behind the bar and in dressing rooms, while others stayed low to the ground. Minutes into the shooting, a club patron, identified as

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

veteran Richard M. Fierro, charged across the room and tackled the shooter to the ground, causing the rifle to fall out of reach. Fierro then grabbed a handgun from the shooter's hand and used it to hit the shooter repeatedly in the head. Fierro was assisted by two other patrons he recruited, including Thomas James, who moved the rifle away to safety, and a

trans woman A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and s ...

who used her high heels to stomp on the shooter, and who helped disable and hold the shooter down until the authorities arrived. Fierro estimated the shooter's weight at 300 pounds. Police received an initial call for service regarding the shooting at 11:56 p.m. on November 19, with the first officer being dispatched a minute later. The first responding officer arrived in the area at 12:00 midnight and arrested a suspect two minutes later. A total of thirty-nine patrol officers from all four divisions of the Colorado Springs Police Department, along with thirty-four firefighters and eleven ambulances, responded to the scene. The suspect was in custody within about five minutes after the first 9-1-1 call. After the shooting stopped, many were at first reluctant to leave from hiding spots as they were unsure if the shooter was reloading or had been stopped. Fierro, who had been covered in blood, was placed in police custody in a squad car for over an hour before he was cleared of suspicion and released. The injured were transported to three hospitals: seven to

Penrose Hospital Penrose Hospital is a 364-bed hospital hospital located in Colorado Springs, Colorado and owned by Penrose-Saint Francis Health Services. The campus includes Penrose Hospital, the Penrose Cancer Center, the E Tower building, the Penrose Pavilion, a ...

, ten to

Memorial Hospital Central Memorial Hospital Central, also called UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central, is an acute hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County. Originally established in 1904, the hospital has 485 beds and is a Level I trauma center, the o ...

, and two to

Memorial Hospital North Memorial Hospital North, also called UCHealth Memorial Hospital North, is an acute hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County. History The hospital first opened in 2007 as a community hospital. Since then, it has undergone a l ...

. Some ambulances, with most of them AMR, had to transport up to three patients at a time, and a few police cruisers had to transport victims as well.

Victims

Five people were killed, and twenty-five others were injured in the shooting, of whom nineteen were by gunfire. One of the deceased victims, Daniel Aston, was bar supervisor and a frequent performer at the nightclub. Another fatality, Raymond Vance, was the boyfriend of Fierro's daughter. As two of the victims were

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...

, the spokesman for GLAAD reached out to the Colorado Springs Police Department ahead of its planned news conference on the victims, and the organization was assured that respectful language would be used. During the

press conference A press conference or news conference is a media event in which notable individuals or organizations invite journalists to hear them speak and ask questions. Press conferences are often held by politicians, corporations, non-governmental organ ...

, the chief of the Colorado Springs Police Department made a point to say the department respected all community members and that they would be identifying the deceased by the names they and their loved ones used. He then read the names of the deceased victims and included their pronouns.

Aftermath

A vigil was held on November 20 with standing room only at the All Souls Unitarian Church, which was also attended by several members of the City Council. Additional memorials and events were held throughout the week, which promoted spaces for people to gather and donate. Donation drives were set up shortly after the shooting from both local organizations and

GoFundMe GoFundMe is an American for-profit crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses. From 2010 to the be ...

fundraisers for the victims and their families. On November 24, Colorado Springs evangelical ministry Focus on the Family was targeted with a graffiti message, reading: "Their blood is on your hands. Five lives taken." The Focus on the Family organization actively advocates for people to " leave homosexuality" and follow Christ. According to ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'', the conservative ministry "has lobbied against LGBT+ rights and characterised LGBT+ identities as 'a particularly evil lie of Satan'". The Human Rights Campaign has said that they "promote many dangerous ideas, practices and programs that cause real harm to LGBT+ people and their families", while the

Southern Poverty Law Center The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white s ...

considers the ministry to be a lobbying group that is central to the anti-gay movement of the religious right.

Accused

The accused was identified as Anderson Lee Aldrich, a 22-year-old resident of Colorado Springs. Aldrich was born Nicholas Franklin Brink on May 20, 2000, in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

, California, to

Aaron Brink Aaron Franklin Brink (born November 12, 1974), also known by his stage name Dick Delaware, is an American professional mixed martial artist and pornographic film actor who competes in the Light Heavyweight division. He has competed for King of ...

, a former pornographic film actor and

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

fighter, and Laura Voepel, the daughter of

Randy Voepel Randy Greg Voepel (born September 21, 1950) is an American politician. He served in the city government of Santee, California and in the California State Assembly from the 71st district. He was the vice-chair of the Veterans Affairs, Aging & Lon ...

, an outgoing member of the California State Assembly from the Republican Party and a former mayor of

Santee, California Santee is a suburban city in San Diego County, California, with a population of 60,075 at the 2020 census. Although it is a part of the East County region, Santee is located just from the Pacific Ocean. The city is connected to the coastline ...

. Voepel and Brink separated and divorced one year after Aldrich's birth; while Voepel went on to receive custody over Aldrich, her tumultuous life – which included multiple arrests and mental health evaluations – resulted in Aldrich being cared for by Voepel's mother who eventually became Aldrich's legal guardian. Aldrich grew up in northern

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, and is a member of

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

, though has not been involved in church services for at least a decade. Records indicate that Aldrich was a target of online bullying that involved homophobic taunts while in middle school. Aldrich changed names on April 28, 2016, shortly before turning 16, citing a desire to remove associations with Aaron Brink, who by that point had multiple criminal convictions. Aldrich's attorneys have said in court documents that their client identifies as

non-binary Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...

and uses they/them pronouns, preferring to be addressed as

Mx. Mx (usually pronounced , or and sometimes ) is an English language neologistic honorific that does not indicate gender. Developed as an alternative to gendered honorifics (such as Mr. and Ms.) in the late 1970s, it is the most common ge ...

Aldrich. Neighbors allege Aldrich to have made hateful comments towards the LGBTQ community in the past, including frequent usage of homophobic slurs. Aldrich never mentioned being non-binary prior to the shooting and was referred to with masculine pronouns by the family members. Experts in online extremism have voiced the possibility that Aldrich's proclaimed self-identification could be disingenuous.

Prior incidents

On June 18, 2021, Aldrich's maternal grandparents revealed their plans to shift to Florida. Angered at the development, Aldrich complained about losing access to the material stored in the basement which was intended for "conduct nga mass shooting and bombing". Aldrich held the grandparents hostage, and threatened to murder them. Eventually, Aldrich let them go, shifted to Voepel's house, and holed up there. During an hour-long standoff with Colorado SWAT, an armed Aldrich live-streamed from inside and threatened to blow up the house. Neighboring homes had to be evacuated. Upon surrendering, a tub filled with explosive grade material — including

ammonium nitrate Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is a white crystalline salt consisting of ions of ammonium and nitrate. It is highly soluble in water and hygroscopic as a solid, although it does not form hydrates. It is ...

and

tannerite Tannerite is a brand of binary explosive targets used for firearms practice and sold in kit form. The targets comprise a combination of oxidizers and a fuel, primarily aluminium powder, that is supplied as two separate components that are mixed ...

— was recovered alongside handguns, ballistic vests, and gas masks; Aldrich was jailed and charged with multiple counts of kidnapping and felony menacing. Aldrich entered into a not guilty plea and was released on bail, a fortnight later. The case made negligible progress with Voepel and the grandparents refusing to accept any subpoena, under technical grounds, to avoid testifying against Aldrich. In July 2022, the case was dismissed, and records were sealed a month later. Twice before the 2021 incident Aldrich had been reported to Colorado Police for "escalating homicidal behavior." On June 17, 2021, Aldrich's grand-aunt contacted the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

to report Aldrich was planning to kill Christians and government employees, after Aldrich's grandfather had reported being threatened by Aldrich; however, the family did not press charges with local police. There is no record that law enforcement authorities or Aldrich's relatives attempted to trigger the Colorado red flag law, which might have allowed for the seizure of any weapons and ammunition that Aldrich possessed. Aldrich and Laura Voepel had conflicts with passengers and crew during a July 2022 flight from California to Colorado. They were accused of harassing others while aboard the plane, and insulting some with racial slurs. After deplaning, Aldrich was filmed saying to another passenger: "I wish I can shoot all of you" and "You keep following me and I'm going to fuck you up."

Social media activity

Aldrich had allegedly created a "free speech" website that hosted violent and racist content — including a video that advocated for killing civilians to " cleanse society" — as of the night of the shooting. A second site that was identified as a "brother website" on its homepage, had hosted footage of the

2022 Buffalo shooting On May 14, 2022, a mass shooting occurred in Buffalo, New York, United States, at a Tops Friendly Markets supermarket in the East Side neighborhood. Ten people, all of whom were Black, were murdered and three were injured. The shooter, identif ...

and, on the night of the Club Q shooting, came to display four other videos, including one which apparently showed Aldrich's face reflected in a vehicle's rear view mirror.

Legal proceedings

After the shooting, Aldrich was charged with ten

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

counts: five counts of murder, and five counts of committing a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury. An El Paso County judge authorized the sealing of Aldrich's prior arrest records, saying the public release of the documents could "jeopardize the ongoing investigation." Aldrich appeared via video from the El Paso County jail on November 23 for a hearing in which Aldrich was advised of the arrest charges and of bond conditions, although Aldrich is being held without bond. Aldrich is currently being represented by a public defender. On December 6, Aldrich was charged with 305 criminal counts, which included

first-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...

, attempted first-degree murder, assault of the first and second degree, and hate crimes. District Attorney Michael Allen said it was "probably the most charges that we’ve ever filed in a single case, on a murder case like this in the state of Colorado". A preliminary hearing was scheduled for February 22, 2023. Lawyers for the prosecution and defense asked for the hearing to be rescheduled to May. On December 8, a judge ordered the unsealing of court documents pertaining to Aldrich's June 2021 arrest.

Responses

The shooting was condemned by certain politicians in the immediate aftermath. President Joe Biden said, "While no motive in this attack is yet clear, we know that the LGBTQI+ community has been subjected to horrific hate violence in recent years." Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that anti-LGBT political discourse is partially to blame for the shooting. The El Paso County government said "We are deeply saddened by the senseless shooting that occurred early this morning in Colorado Springs at Club Q" and sent condolences to support victim's families. Colorado's

and its application were scrutinized by advocates of gun violence prevention, politicians, and others. Governor

Jared Polis Jared Schutz Polis (; born May 12, 1975) is an American politician, entrepreneur, businessman, and philanthropist, serving as the 43rd governor of Colorado since January 2019. He served one term on the Colorado State Board of Education from 20 ...

, the nation's first openly gay governor, said "We are eternally grateful for the brave individuals who blocked the hooterlikely saving lives in the process" and called for an examination of the application of Colorado's red flag law by Colorado's sheriffs. Colorado Springs Mayor

John Suthers John William Suthers (born October 18, 1951) is an American attorney and politician serving as the Mayor of Colorado Springs, Colorado. He previously served as the Attorney General of Colorado, U.S. Attorney for Colorado, Executive Director of th ...

said law enforcement should take advantage of the law under appropriate circumstances, while cautioning against jumping to conclusions about the application of the law to this shooting. Colorado state representative Tom Sullivan, whose son was killed in the 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting and sponsor of the state's red flag law said the prior incident should have alerted the community. Jeffrey Swanson, a professor at Duke University School of Medicine who studies red flag laws, said Colorado's law could have been invoked. LGBTQ groups have widely memorialized the victims, and linked the mass shooting to recent rhetoric. Club Q said on social media that it was "devastated by the senseless attack on our community" and that it offered condolences to the victims and their families. The co-owners of Club Q attributed the shooting to a different kind of anti-LGBTQ hatred, inflamed by some Republican politicians and right-wing influencers and rooted in the demonization of drag queens as "groomers". Democrats have also been criticized by some for historically not doing enough to counteract anti-trans narratives, and generally being reluctant to proactively defend the transgender community. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a statement condemning the shooting. The statement read, in part, "The senseless act of violence in Colorado Springs is of great sadness and concern to us. We are greatly troubled by any violence in our communities and condemn most especially violent acts that are the result of intolerance ..." In their responses to the shooting, several far-right pundits have promoted an

LGBT grooming conspiracy theory Since the early 2020s, conservatives and members of the far-right, mostly in the United States, have falsely accused LGBT people, as well as their allies and progressives in general, of systematically using LGBT-positive education and camp ...

, as well as perpetuating

moral panic A moral panic is a widespread feeling of fear, often an irrational one, that some evil person or thing threatens the values, interests, or well-being of a community or society. It is "the process of arousing social concern over an issue", us ...

. Conservative media personality

Tucker Carlson Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson (born May 16, 1969) is an American television host, conservative political commentator and writer who has hosted the nightly political talk show '' Tucker Carlson Tonight'' on Fox News since 2016. Carlson began ...

displayed a banner on his

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

program ''

Tucker Carlson Tonight ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' is an American talk show and current affairs program hosted by conservative commentator Tucker Carlson on the television network Fox News. The show premiered in November 2016 and includes political commentary, monolog ...

'' that read "Stop Sexualizing Kids" while later hosting a guest who said that mass shootings would keep happening "until we end this evil agenda that is attacking children". Reactionary influencer

Tim Pool Timothy Daniel Pool (born March 9, 1986) is an American YouTuber, political commentator and podcast host who first became known for live streaming the 2011 Occupy Wall Street protests. He joined Vice Media and Fusion TV in 2014, later workin ...

responded by criticizing the venue's drag show performances, saying, "We shouldn't tolerate pedophiles grooming kids. Club Q had a grooming event"; while right-wing commentators Matt Walsh,

Candace Owens Candace Amber Owens Farmer ( Owens; born April 29, 1989) is an American conservative author, talk show host, political commentator, and activist. Initially critical of United States President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, Owens has bee ...

, Chaya Raichik, and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene all continued to publish content targeting LGBTQ people, some of which focused specifically on the Colorado area. After issuing a statement in which she offered her prayers to those affected by the shooting and called for the lawless violence to end, Representative

Lauren Boebert Lauren Opal Boebert ( ; ; born December 19, 1986) is an American politician, businesswoman, and gun rights activist. A member of the Republican Party, she serves as the U.S. representative for . From 2013 to 2022, she owned Shooters Grill, a ...

(R-CO) was accused of hypocrisy based on her history of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. Her past comments have included false grooming narratives and the

litter boxes in schools hoax The litter boxes in schools hoax (also called the litter box canard) is a false rumor alleging that certain North American schools provide litter boxes in bathrooms for students who "identify as cats", or who participate in the furry or otherkin ...

. She has been criticized for blocking gun control laws.

Jenna Ellis Jenna Lynn Ellis (born November 1, 1984) is a conservative lawyer known for her work as a member of Donald Trump's legal team. She is a former deputy district attorney in Weld County, Colorado and a former assistant professor of legal studies a ...

, a former lawyer for

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

, was criticized for saying that the five people killed during the shooting were "now reaping the consequences of ... eternal damnation" because she claimed that there was "no evidence" the victims were Christian. Far-right provocateurs, including

Jack Posobiec Jack Michael Posobiec III ( ; born December 14, 1984) is an American alt-right political activist, television correspondent and presenter, conspiracy theorist, * * * * and provocateur. Posobiec is known for his pro-Donald Trump comments on ...

, questioned Richard Fierro's presence at the drag show, while others on the far-right called Fierro a "groomer" and a "faggot" simply because he and his family were at Club Q. Analysis published by the

Institute for Strategic Dialogue The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) is a think tank founded in 2006 by Sasha Havlicek and George Weidenfeld that specialises in research and policy advice on hate, extremism, and disinformation. It is headquartered in London, United Kin ...

has estimated that online usage of the terms 'pedophile' and 'groomer' increased sharply in the days following the shooting, as part of far-right and neo-Nazi celebration of, and

apologia An apologia (Latin for apology, from Greek ἀπολογία, "speaking in defense") is a formal defense of an opinion, position or action. The term's current use, often in the context of religion, theology and philosophy, derives from Justin Mar ...

for, the massacre. The

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...

also reported in a bulletin published on 30 November that online extremists praised the actions of the shooter. A significant rise in homophobic and transphobic posts following the shooting has been tracked by LGBT advocates both in far-right forums such as Gab and in more mainstream social media such as

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...

, and

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

. On December 14, 2022, several survivors of the mass shooting presented their testimony to the

United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform The Committee on Oversight and Reform is the main investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one of the most influential and powerful panels in the ...

. The witnesses placed blame for the attack on hateful rhetoric, calling it the direct cause of the massacre, and also warned of the dangers of hate speech, saying that it is damaging even in the absence of explicit calls for violence. At the hearing, Club Q owner Matthew Haynes pushed back at Republican politicians, saying "I know that we, our Club Q community, are in the thoughts and prayers of so many of you. Unfortunately these thoughts and prayers alone are not saving lives. They're not changing the rhetoric of hate." Haynes also read aloud examples from some of the hundreds of the hateful messages received following the shooting, including one that said "the shooter was doing God's work". Survivor James Slaugh said that LGBTQ issues should not be politicized, and urged respect for basic human rights: "Outside of these spaces, we are continually being dehumanized, marginalized and targeted. The fear-based and hateful rhetoric surrounding the LGBTQ+ community, especially around trans individuals and drag performers, leads to violence."

References

{{Club fires 2022 in Colorado 2022 in LGBT history 2022 mass shootings in the United States 2020s crimes in Colorado 21st century in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Nightclub shooting Anti-LGBT sentiment Attacks on bars Attacks on buildings and structures in 2022 Attacks on buildings and structures in Colorado Attacks on nightclubs Deaths by firearm in Colorado LGBT in Colorado LGBT-related controversies in the United States Mass shootings in Colorado Mass shootings in the United States November 2022 crimes in the United States Transgender history in the United States Violence against LGBT people in the United States Violence against gay men Violence against trans men Violence against trans women