Recent violence causes heartbreak in the LGBTQ+ commmunity
Students and staff reflect on Club Q shooting By Elly Meteer, Jo Jackson & Lauren Kaled SECTION EDITOR, WEB EDITOR & INTERN PHOTO | Bella Yoakam
Societal homophobia Coming out as gay wasn’t something to sweat over for freshman Silas Wooten. With his strong, supportive and caring family, he knew he would feel loved through every step of his journey. Unlike Wooten, some members of the LGBTQ+ community don’t feel safe to come out in fear of unsupportive friends and family or the possibility of facing violence. In fact, according to the Fact Sheet
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FEATURE
JANUARY 5, 2023
on Injustice in the LGBTQ Community, LGBTQ+ people are four times more likely than heterosexuals to experience violence in their life. One of the most recent instances of violence experienced by people in the LGBTQ+ community occurred at the Colorado Springs Club Q shooting. A gunman entered the queer bar and opened fire, killing five people and injuring 19. He was stopped
only after a veteran held him down and a woman stomped on him with her heels. In response to the violence, school social worker and Diversity Club adviser Lauren Klein attributes some of the hostility to society’s lack of education and awareness about the LGBTQ+ community. “I think there is a significant lack of understanding of marginalized groups from some members of our