(COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.) — Nearly one year after the tragic shooting in a Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ nightclub that killed five people and left dozens injured, Club Q has announced that it will reopen with a new name and change in venue.
Since the tragic events in November 2022, Club Q’s doors have remained closed.
“For many years, Club Q was the only queer designated space in the city,” explained Michael Anderson, Club Q Vice President of Operations. “When the shooting happened, not only did we lose friends and coworkers, we lost our home as well.”
The team behind Club Q said it was never a question of if they would reopen, but when and where.
“Club Q can’t go anywhere, you can’t let something so horrific and fueled by hate be the end of a 20-year legacy that Club Q has in this city,” Anderson said.
In a letter released Tuesday, Oct. 24, owners said Club Q will move inside the historic Satellite Hotel in Colorado Springs on Lakewood Circle near the Airport Road and South Academy intersection.
“We wanted this to be an extension of Club Q, perhaps a rebirth if you will, so we’ve decided on the name The Q by Club Q,” Anderson said.
The owners tell FOX21 the name honors Club Q’s past while also acknowledging the push to move forward.
“It’s a moment of persistence, resilience, strength, that’s what we are doing here, we are pressing forward,” Anderson explained.
There is still a lot of work to be done, but The Q is scheduled to open in late December and will be managed and operated by survivors of the Nov. 19, 2022 shooting.
“We have a whole team that we’ve assembled to be able to get out and outreach in the community, provide education about trauma,” said Roberta Renfro, Community Outreach Manager at Diversus Health.
Federal funding designed to help communities after incidents of mass violence will allow Diversus Health, the community mental health center serving El Paso, Park, and Teller Counties, to provide behavioral health counseling free of charge for victims and community members who may be experiencing symptoms of trauma after the Club Q shooting. The funding was received thanks to a collaboration between Diversus Health and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and is part of a larger response to this mass tragedy with other local community partners.
Diversus Health has hired additional clinicians and peer outreach specialists to provide educational, supportive, and clinical services. Services will be available in the community and the soon-to-be-opened Prism Community Collective.
“We know that incidents of mass violence can have long-lasting impacts on entire communities,” said Katie Blickenderfer, Chief Clinical Officer at Diversus Health. “It’s normal for people to experience anxiety, trouble sleeping, and other symptoms as a response to trauma. We are gratified to be able to provide support to our community as it struggles to recover from such a shocking and devastating incident and are thankful for our partners in this effort, especially Community Health Partnership and NAMI.”
If you or someone you know is struggling in the aftermath of the Club Q shooting, please visit the Diversus Health website.
Resources are available in Southern Colorado as those who lost their safe space prepare to welcome The Q community home.
“We need more queer spaces in Colorado Springs and not less,” Anderson explained. “We intend to restore the one that is missing and encourage the city to continue its growth and progress towards acceptance for all LGBTQ+ people.”
