Hi guys,
Sorry this post is a little late. It took a great deal of reflection.
November 19th, 2022, just before midnight. A gunman attacks an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In five minutes, five people were killed, and 18 more were injured before the shooter was subdued by bystanders.
I don’t even know what to say.
The killer’s motivation is clear: hate. Hatred of the LGBTQ+ community, for which “Club Q” was a safe haven. Five innocent people were killed in cold blood due to transphobia. Sadly, this is not a lone case; the Human Rights Council says that over 32 people have been murders against the LGBTQ people. Each of them were people like you and me - people with families, friends, livelihoods and hopes for the future. Bright futures dashed in the blink of an eye, due to sheer hate and prejudice.
The shooting is made all the worse by the fact that it happened mere moments before the Transgender Day of Remembrance, on November 2022. The day is dedicated to memorialize people who have been killed by transphobia. The armed assailant entered Club Q five minutes before the Day of Remembrance began.
This crime also highlights America’s struggle with gun rights. Far too often, the rights of a firearm are placed before people’s right to safety. In the past few years America has been subjected to more shootings than any other developed nation; gun violence is now the top cause of death for children, a statistic that is too horrible to imagine. We saw terrifying shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo within two weeks of each other - and still, no meaningful change has been achieved.
But we need change.
We need a solution.
We cannot, must not, go on like this.