'An act of resistance': Thousands turn out for Pride Parade to support LGBTQ+ community, honor Club Q victims
Jun. 11—Seven months after a deadly attack on the LGBTQ+ community, thousands of revelers and supporters lined the streets of downtown Colorado Springs for the annual Pride Parade.
Along with the traditional joyous music, bursts of color, outrageous outfits and raucous cheering, there was a hint of defiance in the air — a community refusing to slink into the shadows, even in the face of violence.
"There are people out there who want us to just live quietly — or not live at all," said Liss Smith of Inside Out Youth Services. "But we're gonna live loud instead. It's an act of resistance."
Richard Fierro, the military veteran and local businessman who helped subdue and disarm the Club Q assailant, was selected to be the grand marshal of the parade. He and his family were greeted with thunderous applause as they rolled down Tejon Street in a decked-out El Camino.
"I'm a straight guy," Fierro said. "But I'm a part of this community now, and they are a part of ours."
Adriana Vance, whose son, Raymond, was killed in the Nov. 19 attack, said Fierro was the right choice to lead this year's parade.
"He's a great guy," said Vance, whose son had been dating Fierro's daughter. "At this time, I think he is the right man to be the grand marshal."
Jennifer Berger, who has been attending the parade since the 1990s, said she considered skipping it this year, but decided not to break tradition.
"The thought occurred to me, but I dismissed it," Berger said. "You can't live in fear. If you do that, they win."
The lawn and walkway outside the Pioneers Museum, where the parade ended, was festooned with balloons, bubble machines and booths offering everything from food and beverages, to various health services. One booth, however, offered something a little different.
"Armed Queers Don't Get Bashed" is the motto of Pink Pistols — an organization that offers self-defense and weapons training to members of the LGBTQ+ community who are growing tired of turning the other cheek.
"It's getting worse out there," said Patrick Dolan, who heads the Colorado Springs chapter of Pink Pistols. "There are hate groups going after us, just because we want to live."
Dolan assumed leadership of the local chapter shortly after the attack on Club Q, he said.
"After Club Q, I was just like, 'OK, this is ridiculous,'" Dolan said. "They walked into the one safe place we had in town, and shot it up."
A gunman on Nov. 19 opened fire at Club Q on North Academy Boulevard in Colorado Springs. Five people were killed and 25 injured, 19 by gunfire. Anderson Lee Aldrich has been charged in the mass shooting and is awaiting trial.
The self-defense group has been met with resistance from members of the queer community, who mostly see themselves as pacifists, Dolan said. But in the months since the Club Q attack, he's seeing a growing number of people who are looking to defend themselves.
"We're not violent people, and we're not aggressive," Dolan said of Pink Pistols. "We're just tired of being attacked. It's time to start fighting back."
Smith and other parade attendees were encouraged by the weekend's large turnout.
"It was great to see," Smith said. "I thought some people might be reluctant to come out, and that would have been understandable. But, if anything, I think this year's turnout may have been a little bigger than last year's."
"The more people, the better," said Brendan Ryan-McKeever, who said he was at Club Q the night before the shooting. "If we stay in our homes, we empower the people who want the gay community to be scared. I'm really happy so many people decided to come today."
