Letter to the Community after the Club Q Attack

The LGBTQIA+ community is mourning the shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs this past weekend. We remember Daniel Davis Aston, Kelly Loving, Raymond Green Vance, Ashley Paugh and Derrick Wayne Rump whose lives were taken too soon. Our hearts go out to their loved ones, to survivors of the shooting, and to all in the queer community who have been affected. We at the LGBTQIA+ Center for Faculty & Staff are devastated by this attack on our community.

LGBTQIA+ nightclubs are sacred sanctuaries in the community. From the Stonewall riots to Cafe Q, LGBTQIA+ bars have played a significant role, serving as safe places to be out, explore identity, be your full self, find others, and celebrate joy. For many, the violence and desecration of this refuge feels deeply personal.

At the LGBTQIA+ Center for Faculty & Staff, we see you and are here to hold space, provide opportunities to be in community, grieve with you, and offer support and resources. Please feel free to stop by the Center, reach out to us by email at lgbtqia@bu.edu, or call us at 617-353-3990. Because this is a shortened work week, we are in the process of planning a gathering, in collaboration with the Dean of Students, for after the holiday break. We will share more information about this next week.

The Faculty & Staff Assistance Office (FSAO) has reached out to express their support and concern for the LGBTQIA+ campus community. They are aware of how traumatic this is for members of the LGBTQIA+ community and want faculty and staff to know that they are here to provide support. They note on their website that “hate-based violence affects all of us but especially those who live in fear that they or their loved ones will be targeted. The FSAO is available to support employees who may be having a range of responses including grief, heightened vigilance, sleeplessness, anger, and detachment.” Their counselors are trained in trauma-informed care and are sensitive to the unique needs of members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Two additional resources they offer are Coping with Mass Shootings and LGBTQIA+ Employees.

Both the Dean of Students and Student Health Services (SHS) are available to support students. SHS is hosting two zoom student support groups in the coming weeks—a LGBTQ+ Support Group on Tuesday, November 29 from 5-6 pm and a World News Support Group on Tuesday, December 6 from 5-6 pm. Students can register for these groups by following the instructions at the top of the Behavioral Medicine Groups & Workshops website.

This shooting at Club Q may bring up many feelings, including outrage that it occurred on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance, pain of the Pulse nightclub shooting, anger about the onslaught of anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation nationwide (with trans youth most targeted), concerns that hate crimes are on the rise, fears of being out, numbness, and many other feelings. We are here for you. Please let us know how we can support you and/or get you connected to additional campus and community resources at this time.

In Solidarity and Support,

BU LGBTQIA+ Center for Faculty & Staff

Update for the week of 11/28/22:
In light of recent gun violence in the US, the Marsh Chapel is offering a quiet space of reflection in the sanctuary from 12pm today, 11/28 until 3pm Tuesday, 11/29.

The LGBTQIA+ Center for Faculty & Staff, Dean of Students, and the BU Arts Initiative are co-sponsoring events to create memorials to Club Q starting on December 1. You can find further information on the locations and times here: https://www.bu.edu/thecenter/events-calendar/?eid=275326