COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — In time, the memorials placed outside Colorado's latest mass shooting scene will be picked up, and members of southeastern Colorado's LGBTQ community hope they'll have adequate resources to move forward.
"We're looking for a space, an actual building that we can go and get resources, a place that we can run to in need, a place that we can see a therapist, a place that we can gather for meetings," Greg Resha said.
Up until a year ago, Resha had worked at Club Q for over a decade, serving as both a DJ and a drag queen performer.
"I got married there, so it is really a big part of my life," he said. "In fact, in one of the Facebook posts earlier this week, I said Club Q was part of my identity. I truly believe that because most of my best memories in life happened there."
He learned about the Saturday's shooting at Club Q after waking up to a series of sporadic texts.
"I saw texts around 4 a.m. on Sunday, people were asking me if I was OK," he said.
Resha knew two of the five people who were killed — Derrick Rump and Daniel Aston — and one of the 18 people injured in the shooting.
"It feels like our safe place was violated," he said.
Now, Resha and others are advocating for the creation of a Pride center for people of all ages in Colorado Springs.
The shooting has a shed a light on services, or lack thereof, for LGBTQ+ adults in one of the state's most conservative cities.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, Inside Out Youth Services has been leading the way with finding ways to help community members, but their mission is to serve those between the ages of 13 to 24.
"Club Q is the only place within 75 miles you can go," Resha said, speaking of those over the age of 25.
According to past media reports, the city's old Pride center was closed in 2015 due to management struggles.
"I oftentimes have had to send my clients to Denver or Boulder for services there," said Dara Hoffman-Fox, a licensed gender therapist.
This week a GoFundMe was created with the goal of raising $75,000 for a Pride center. The organizer, Summer Westerbur, has partnered with a nonprofit in Florida, which will hold the money while other resources are gathered.
"Sunserve provides similar services in South Florida," Westerbur wrote to Denver7. "They will hold the money until we identify the right Colorado Springs organizations to expand and use this. People want to help right now and this is a need that has existed in Colorado Springs for some time. I don't have time to personally open a Pride center, I want to support the people already doing this work."
Hoffman-Fox is hoping some initial funding can be secured through the state's Behavioral Health Administration.
"We desperately could use funding from the state [or] a task force, you know, to help put this together," they said. "The Pride center in a moment like this would be able to be called to action. This kind of tragedy impacts people forever."
"After the dust settles, our community will need long term care," Resha said.
A spokesperson for Governor Jared Polis said, "Colorado is a place where everyone deserves to feel safe and free to be who they are. While it will take a long time to heal, Governor Polis will continue to work with the Colorado Springs and LGBTQ+ community to heal together. As Colorado’s second largest city it would make sense for additional resources to be available to the community and the Governor welcomes these efforts to help bring people together."
On Monday, Polis shared a list of resources currently available for those impacted by the tragedy.
