Viaduct Showbar in Leeds will be hosting a vigil this Friday (November 25) to remember those that were lost in a shooting at an LGBT bar in the US. The vigil is being set up to support the victims at Club Q and also raise awareness about the current state of LGBTQ+ rights all over the world.
On Saturday (November 19) night in Colorado Springs, USA, a gunman entered an LGBTQ club and began shooting people with a rifle. Five people tragically lost their lives that day and nineteen people were injured.
After a fight with the gunman to take his weapon, an Army veteran disarmed the man and stopped him from shooting. The man who did it, Anderson Lee Aldrich, is now hospitalised and in police custody.
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There is no known motive at this time behind the shooting but it is being treated as a hate crime. Many have gathered in the US to mourn the loss through vigils and memorials and clubs and bars in the UK are now doing the same.
The World Cup in Qatar is another reason for solidarity, with LGBTQ+ communities neither welcome nor safe in the country. The vigil will take place outside the bar at 8.30pm, all will be welcome to attend.
It will be a chance to bring people together in Leeds to stand in solidarity with both the victims and those who are being oppressed across the globe, simply for being who they are.
The venue will also be donating £1 to LGBTQ+ charities for every sale made between 7pm and 12am. In a post on Instagram, the bar said: "We invite you to join us in solidarity and support with the victims of the Club Q shootings in Colorado, USA. "We will have speakers and performers, followed by a candlelit vigil on the street."
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