A moment of silence. Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump, and Ashley Paugh all suffered fatal wounds from the Colorado shooting this past Sunday. Their lives were taken way too soon, but also in such a terrible way. With 29 others injured, another hate crime against the LGBTQ+ community has taken place. November 20th, 2022 marks another mass shooting hate crime.

Club Q was a very popular gay bar among the citizens of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The entire place was loved by everyone who went there. They celebrated everything from Drag Queens to brunches. It was a safe space for so many people who needed one. However, that safe space has been taken away. Though the club planned to hold a drag brunch and show for Transgender Day of Remembrance, it is now closed until further notice. All the flags are now lowered for the 5 people who lost their lives. They will be lowered for 5 days, 5 days to honor fice victims. It was also announced that the Polis-Primavera administration will fly the Pride flag at the state capital during those five days as well to honor all of the victims.

Something that needs to be pointed out, is that this attack happened as reminiscent of the 2016 attack. This attack was on yet another LGBTQ+ club, however this time in Orlando, Florida. 49 people were killed, and at least 53 were wounded. Even though society seems to be growing, these hate crimes are becoming more and more common. It seems as if the country is only growing more and more desensitized to these types of events.

No matter how many times a mass shooting occurs, it should never be ignored. This should not become the new normal. More and more people are being targeted, and it seems that every safe space is being taken away, whether it’s a bar or a religious building. This needs to be changed, but the question is how. The first step is informing people when these things happen. The public needs to be aware of these events, even if they aren’t in the same state. If a blind eye is turned, these will only become normal in society. Spreading awareness and education is the first step that needs to be taken.

Please take a minute to honor the victims that have been taken from hate crimes. It’s easy to think of these victims as numbers, but they’re not. They’re people, wives, sons, husbands, daughters, cousins, best friends, and caretakers. These people were just like you and me. If we don’t fight for them, then we aren’t fighting for ourselves.