New Orleans LGBTQ community holds vigil for Colorado Springs victims
New Orleans. LA – The New Orleans LGBT Center, in collaboration with the Real Name Campaign, held a candlelight vigil on November 21. The vigil was organized after reports spread across the country of a mass-shooting that targeted Club Q, an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs.
Around 40 community members attended the intimate New Orleans vigil. Speakers from the LGBT Center emphasized the need for the community to defend LGBTQ community spaces as they face continuous attacks.
Serena Sojic-Borne, an organizer with Real Name Campaign, told the community, “This shooting came on the heels of Donald Trump announcing his re-election campaign. It came on the heels of Louisiana misrepresentatives introducing a Don’t Say Gay bill to the U.S. Congress. It came on the heels of SCOTUS overturning Roe v. Wade. Bigots in power give a green light to bigoted murderers. Our strongest weapon against them is organization.”
The vigil included an open mic portion where attendees expressed their grief collectively and shared grounding practices. At the end they blew all of their candles out together and held a minute of silence for the Q Club slain: Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump and Ashley Paugh.