Club Q

I have avoided posting the last few days because I didn't know what to say. Surely by now you're aware of the mass shooting at a gay nightclub called Club Q here in Colorado Springs on Saturday night. I've just been so angry, I could barely form words to write about it. Club Q is less than half a block from my photography studio, it's probably only a mile from the house where I spent my teenage years, and most importantly, it's a safe haven for our local LGBTQ+ community, among whom I count many lifelong friends.

This disgusting, cowardly act ended the lives of five innocent people and impacted so many more. Five families will be grieving on Thanksgiving instead of celebrating. Pat and I are so very shocked and saddened. On Sunday evening we went to the makeshift memorial where people had been gathering all day, to pay our respects and add flowers to the growing pile. But flowers don't help. Thoughts and prayers don't help. Legislation helps. It's my sincerest hope that soon our elected officials of a certain political party will finally be courageous enough to stand up to the bullying of what is truly only a minority of Americans, and do the right thing by passing common sense gun legislation.

To the people who lost their loved ones in this horrible, unthinkable event, I am holding you in my heart. They didn't deserve this. You didn't deserve this. For any Coloradoan who is feeling that the weight of this tragedy is too much to bear, please, please get in touch with the good folks at Colorado Crisis Services, and anyone, anywhere, especially if you're LGBTQ+, can call the National LGBT Hotline for help and support.