With our hearts already heavy mourning trans lives lost on Transgender Day of Remembrance, we learned of the shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado. We mourn those taken from us in this hateful act of violence and wish safety, healing, and peace for all those affected. As a gender justice funder and a queer-led organization, we stand in the utmost solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community during this time—and always.
Queer nightlife spaces are places of refuge, joy, and resistance. To enact such violence in a safe haven like this is a direct attack on the LGBTQ+ community. As evidenced by grantee partner Translash Media’s podcast series The Anti-Trans Hate Machine, violence such as Saturday’s shooting is a direct result of transphobic, homophobic rhetoric being echoed and legitimized by politicians, media organizations, and others in our society. It shows why we must double down on our work to advance justice for LGBTQ+ people not just in New York, but nationwide.
We at The New York Women’s Foundation will continue to move forward in love and solidarity toward a world where violence like this never occurs. Toward a world where LGBTQ+ people never have to live in fear. We will continue to ensure that the movement for justice is resourced so that LGBTQ+ people, especially LGBTQ+ people of color, can not only survive, but thrive.
Please take the care you need during this time. Our work continues.