Club Q: LGBTQ+ nightclub where five killed in mass shooting set to reopen
Club Q is set to reopen in autumn next year. (Getty)
Club Q, the LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs where five people were killed and many more were injured in a shooting three months ago, has announced its plans to reopen in the autumn.
A 22-year-old suspect, Anderson Lee Aldrich, is facing more than 300 charges, including first-degree murder, attempted murder and hate crimes.
The victims were named as Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh and Raymond Green Vance.
Club Q will be working with Colorado Springs authorities and a local women-owned architecture firm to ensure that the club is safe for customers to return.
The club will also bring in two survivors of the shooting as new members of staff, with a permanent monument in tribute to those who died within the club itself.
Designs for the rebuild are expected to be released in the next four to six weeks, as reported by The Advocate. New security features will be planned in co-ordination with local, state and federal organisations in the US.
The security measures in Club Q will then stand as a model for LGBTQ+ safe spaces in the US.
In a recent statement, the owner of Club Q, Matthew Haynes, said: “It was 20 years ago that I fought through a very different time in our country to ensure our community would have a safe space to gather and commune.
“It has been two decades now that we have kept the doors open as a place where everyone, regardless of gender identity or who they love, had somewhere to belong. To everyone who has asked me to reopen the club, I assure you we are working very hard to bring our home back.”
Fundraising is set to continue to help those affected by the shooting, but non-profit legal group, Bread & Roses, has claimed on employees and contractors of the club have yet to see “any money”.
A statement read: “Some of us were injured and watched our loved ones die. Others have been sent into financial crisis while grieving the loss of beloved friends.”
The statement goes on to ask for 75 per cent of the funds to be distributed to employees and contractors immediately.
PinkNews has contacted both Bread & Roses and Club Q for further comment.
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