Communications Associate GLAAD

As the national response to the Club Q shooting intensifies, more information is being revealed on who was in attendance at the LGBTQ bar in Colorado Springs when a shooter opened fire, murdering 5 and injuring over two dozen others. With this information comes an opportunity to directly assist families and loved ones affected by the tragedy – either by sharing their stories, donating to the Colorado Healing Fund, and more. 

GLAAD is coordinating with local advocates to support the survivors in handling media inquiries and is also ensuring reporters cover these stories with respectful and sensitivity. We share this information of victims and ways to support them with their permission, either directly or via a loved one.  

The beautiful lives lost from the attack at Club Q are: Daniel Aston (he/him), Kelly Loving(she/her), Ashley Paugh (she/her), Derrick Rump (he/him), and Raymond Green Vance(he/him). Their families continue to ask for privacy and space to grieve and heal.https://www.instagram.com/p/ClRY8lrOVcS/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=14&wp=1080&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.glaad.org&rp=%2Fblog%2Fcloser-look-victims-affected-club-q-shooting-and-how-support-them#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A818.0000000000001%2C%22ls%22%3A619%2C%22le%22%3A766%7D

Jeremiah Griffith, a staff member of Club Q, spoke out about his friends and coworkers:
“The staff of Club Q weren’t coworkers, we were a family. Club Q wasn’t just a club, it was a safe place and a home to many. We give the community a place where they can be who they are. The incredible and kind staff members who lost their lives to this horrible violence will never be forgotten. The community here appreciates everyone’s outpouring of concerns and support. We need to keep that support going for a long time to come.”

Those who were at Club Q on Saturday include siblings Charlene Slaugh and James Slaugh. Their brother Mark, with the assistance of his friend Summer Westerbur, has set up a GoFundMe to raise money for his siblings. You can donate here.

Mark has also been updating friends and family via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/440457514945033/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF

On the attacks, Mark states: 

“While my sister and brother remain in the hospital, we are asking everyone to continue their support of our family and the entire community here. The world is all looking at Club Q and standing with the community here. Our community needs that allyship now, but we also need it to continue for a long time to come.”

Ed Sanders was injured during the attack and will have surgery in the coming hours. He spoke out last night about how the community inside the club rallied to save lives:

“The shooting started and I got hit in the back. He fired another volley and I got hit in the leg, and then I went down. I could hear people calling for tourniquets. The lady next to me was shot pretty badly. We were trying to keep her breathing. … Club Q has been my home for twenty years. They are my family. I want people to just show some love to the LGBTQ people in their lives.” 

Ed is also the current Prince Royal 47 of the United Court of the Pikes Peak Empire, and 3 year former Board member of the Court. 

The co-owner of Club Q, Nic Grzecka, is speaking out against anti-LGBTQ hate and rhetoric. On November 22, he told CNN’s Don Lemon:

“I am sad and scared about where this nation is going. What happened to us this weekend as a community is happening around the nation. These politics are tearing our gay communicates apart. You see what’s happening in New York with bricks thrown at bars. This is not good. This is not safe. Our politicians are helping drive this narrative and they can also help stop it.”

Lastly, there is hero and Army veteran Richard M. Fierro, who tackled the gunman amid the shooting, effectively stopping him and saving more lives. Fierro says stopping the attack was motivated by his need to protect his family (via CNN). Fierro was also assisted by Thomas James, who is currently hospitalized. https://www.instagram.com/reel/ClQNw6Yg4GI/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=14&wp=1080&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.glaad.org&rp=%2Fblog%2Fcloser-look-victims-affected-club-q-shooting-and-how-support-them#%7B%22ci%22%3A1%2C%22os%22%3A819.0000000000001%2C%22ls%22%3A619%2C%22le%22%3A766%7D

Other ways you can help out those affected by the Club Q shooting include donating to the Colorado Healing Fund, which will directly support Club Q, the victims, their families, and those affected by this tragedy. Local Coloradans are also encouraged to donate blood if they are able to assist the victims.

Please also visit GoFundMe’s hub of verified fundraisers to provide direct financial support to survivors and their families.

Please follow One Colorado, Inside Out Youth Services, and GLAAD for up-to-date information on community needs, resources, and upcoming vigils.