Statement of National NOW President Christian F. Nunes
NOW was devastated to learn of the horrific act of gun violence and the lives lost in Colorado’s LGBTQIA+ community this past weekend.
Five people died and twenty-five more were injured when a gunman armed with two guns, including a long rifle, invaded Club Q, a Colorado Springs nightclub. Club Q was also planning on holding a celebration of Transgender Day of Remembrance the next morning.
When a night out becomes a night of terror, it’s time for all of us to act. Club Q was known as a safe, “go-to place” where everyone was welcome. But today, we are left to wonder, are there no safe places any longer? Does being welcoming mean inviting danger, or even death?
NOW members won’t let hate prevail. We must strengthen protections for the LGBTQIA+ community and call on law enforcement to address the rise in hate crimes that target them. And we join in President Biden’s renewed call for an assault weapons ban to address the epidemic of gun violence and save lives.
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The National Organization for Women (NOW) is the nation’s leading membership-based advocacy group dedicated to defending women’s rights, advancing equality and combating injustice in all aspects of social, political and economic life. Through educating, mobilizing, and convening a vast network of grassroots activists across the country, NOW advocates for national, state and local policies that promote an anti-racist and intersectional feminist agenda. Since its founding in 1966, NOW has been on the frontlines of nearly every major advancement for women’s rights and continues to champion progressive values today. More about NOW’s efforts and resources is available at NOW.org.