After the mass shooting last November at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs that turned a drag queen’s birthday celebration into a massacre, the conservative community was forced to reckon with its reputation for being unwelcoming to gay, lesbian and transgender people.
What motivated the shooter, who didn't grow up in Colorado Springs and is now serving life in prison, may never be known. But since the attack that killed five people, wounded 17 others and shattered the sense of safety at Club Q, which served as a refuge for the city's LGBTQ+ community, Colorado Springs has taken steps to reshape itself as inclusive and welcoming.
