Law enforcement says a gunman Before the vandalism, numerous news outlets and left-leaning personalities had cited Focus on the Familys conservative Christian stances on homosexual activity while reporting on the shooting. A mass shooting at a popular gay club in Colorado Springs has resurfaced questions about the citys past and future among its residents. Contrary to SPLC insinuations, groups like Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council dont hate LGBT people or wish them dead. It comes as a shocked Colorado Springs grieves the loss of five people Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump and Ashley Paugh after a person armed with an AR-style rifle fired into Club Q just before midnight on 19 November. All rights reserved. She said shes seen and heard hateful anti-LGBTQ rhetoric from influential figures in Colorado Springs. A person pauses to pay respects at a makeshift memorial in November 2022, near Club Q. This is a time for prayer, grieving and healing, not vandalism and the spreading of hate, Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, said in a statement shared with The Independent. Focus on the Family spokesperson Katie Anderson confirmed the sign was vandalized, but wouldnt comment on when the incident occurred. Under the resources for homosexuality and sexual identity, there are video links, book recommendations, and more for parents and people looking for a "Christian" perspective. In the 1940s, military bases arrived. Vandals spray-painted the Focus on the Family building in the wee hours of Thanksgiving morning. With a growing and diversifying population, the city nestled at the foothills of the Rockies is a patchwork of disparate social and cultural fabrics. In the 1990s, the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family advocated to amend the Colorado Springs Constitution to make it illegal to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. The suspect accused of killing five people in Both women spent weeks inside hospital rooms recovering. To be sure, most people share varying degrees of personal information with family, co-workers, friends, and other acquaintances and that is, perhaps, especially true of people in the LGBTQ community. Brandon Wolf, Equality Florida press secretary and a survivor of the Pulse nightclub shooting, said the killings at Club Q were the result of years of hateful rhetoric toward LGBTQ people. 1 killed in northeast Colorado Springs car crash, marking the 10th traffic fatality of 2023, Serious crash along Highway 24 on the west side of Colorado Springs Tuesday afternoon, WATCH - Colorado grocery and convenience stores to sell wine, Standoff near Pueblo County elementary school ends with suspect shot, Springs restaurant holding fundraiser for fallen Fountain police officer, senseless loss of life at Club Q nearly one week ago, first court appearance by video Wednesday, Richard Fierro and Thomas James stopped him that night, in 2014 spoke out against adding sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression to non-discrimination laws. In a 2018 analysis, ProPublica found that in 74 out of 85 cases of murders of trans people, law enforcement agencies referred to the victims by the wrong name and gender. Severe Weather COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Vandals defaced a sign outside a local Christian ministry Thursday, accusing the organization of complicity in the horrific massacre at an LGBTQ+ nightclub. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. The SPLC used that radical Islamic terrorist attack to demonize conservative Christians. Whereas Focus on the Family published literature in decades past assailing what it called the Homosexual Agenda, its messaging now emphasizes tolerance, ensuring those who believe marriage should be between one man and one woman have the right to act accordingly. The shooting happened just after 7 p.m. at the Alta Convenience Store near the intersection of Palmer Park Boulevard and Potter Drive. The Daily Signal depends on the support of readers like you. For years its marketed itself as an outdoorsy boomtown with a population set to top Denvers by 2050. The Family Research Institutewhich reported only $50,000 in revenue in 2021appears not to have addressed the shooting. Aldrich, who according to his attorneys identifies as non-binary, comes from a conservative Republican family. More than one-third of residents are nonwhite twice as many as in 1980. The incident comes as Colorado Springs continues to grieve the senseless loss of life at Club Q nearly one week ago. The families of the five individuals killed in Saturday nights senseless attack are in our prayers. We urge everyone to pray for peace and we also pray for the individual or group responsible for this mischievous and unwarranted defacing of our ministrys property.. It goes on to claim, "Transgender-identified and gender dysphoric individuals are not necessarily more dangerous than anyone else. Nelly Brusnell signs a cross on the chest of Ivanna Brusnell after placing flowers near Club Q on Sunday. broadcast ministry But last weekends shooting has raised uneasy questions about the lasting legacy of cultural conflicts that caught fire decades ago and gave Colorado Springs a reputation as a cauldron of religion-infused conservatism, where LGBTQ people didnt fit in with the most vocal community leaders idea of family values. "Do you consider yourself a Christian? Bouquets of flowers and a sign reading "love over hate" are left near Club Q on Sunday. Ever feel like the only difference between the New York Times and Washington Post is the name? This community, just like any other community in the country, is complex, she said. 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Opinion: Colorado farms going fallow? Hours & Location Hours: Mon Fri : 9am 5:30pm Sat: 9am 5pm Closed Sunday Address: 8685 Explorer Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80920-1051 Phone: (719)-531-3464 E-mail: Bookstore.Associate@fotf.org Available Products Adventures in Now hes grieving the loss of Rump and Aston, both of whom were slain in the club shooting. The SPLC did not respond to The Daily Signals request for comment on the Focus on the Family vandalism, and the center doesnt appear to have condemned it publicly. A person pauses to pay respects at a makeshift memorial in November 2022, near Club Q. Its opening sentence describes the shooting as coming after years of intensifying anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, acts of violence and intimidation, and discriminatory legislation from far-right individuals and groups, including powerful Republican politicians., After attacks on conservative commentators Matt Walsh, Ben Shapiro, and Candace Owens; Libs of TikTok owner Chaya Raichik; Florida Gov. Incorrectly identifying a victim can slow down an investigation, confusing people who may have known them by the name they used in everyday life, the outlet reported. 1 killed in northeast Colorado Springs car crash, marking the 10th traffic fatality of 2023, Serious crash along Highway 24 on the west side of Colorado Springs Tuesday afternoon, WATCH - Colorado grocery and convenience stores to sell wine, Standoff near Pueblo County elementary school ends with suspect shot, Springs restaurant holding fundraiser for fallen Fountain police officer. Police said there was no information about who might have vandalized the sign, according to The Gazette. Police will often rely on legal names to identify victims or suspects. On Wednesday, defense attorneys brought up the suspect's gender identity and sexuality, saying that they told James, "My mom will not accept me because I'm gay, you're all the same.". It is no accident that this happened in Colorado Springs, a city steeped in homophobia, transphobia, and white supremacy, the statement continues. Using the right name seems less like a thoughtful gesture than an obvious sign of respect for a victim and their loved ones. A man is comforted while crying at a makeshift memorial on Monday near the site of a mass shooting at an LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs. Published In addition to the five people who were killed, at least 18 others were injured. Their blood is on your hands and five lives taken were spray-painted onto the sign following Saturday nights mass shooting in Colorado Springs at Club Q. A general view of Club Q as police respond to the shooting. Over the summer, members of the extremist group Proud Boys interrupted a drag queen story hour, and other groups have since protested the events or forced them to be canceled. These are the victims of the Colorado club shooting. She is now running to become Denvers mayor. But in the face of anti-LGBTQ discrimination and hostility, many Colorado Springs residents established LGBTQ funds and advocacy groups, Colorado Springs Indy columnist Brandon Flanery wrote in 2020. @Tyler2ONeil, Tyler O'Neil is managing editor of The Daily Signal and the author of "Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center.". Left: Michael Robert Travis performs taps while his husband, Michael Travis, films on his phone near Club Q on Sunday. Have an opinion about this article? Focus on the Family's Colorado Springs, Colorado, headquarters was vandalized on Thanksgiving with a message blaming the group for a recent mass "The families of the five individuals killed in Saturday night's senseless attack are in our prayers," Daly's statement said. In the early 20th century, newcomers sought to establish a resort town in the shadow of Pikes Peak. Denver Broncos staff members and fans observe a moment of silence Sunday for the shooting victims. Days after the mass shooting, someone left a spray-painted message on a Focus on the Family sign. Wilsons article doesnt mark the first time the Southern Poverty Law Center has suggested that anti-LGBT hate and conservative Christians may be responsible for a shooting at a gay nightclub. All Rights Reserved. The man suspected of killing five people and wounding 17 others at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub will face multiple murder and hate crime charges, WebFocus on the Family - Visit Colorado Springs Home Focus on the Family 8605 Explorer Dr | Colorado Springs, CO | 80920 Main: (719) 531-3400 Map Website Overview Focus on the Family welcomes visitors to the ministry's Welcome Center in Colorado Springs. The SPLC also pointed the finger at conservative hate groupsand then-President Donald Trumpfor the 2016 shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, even though the shooter pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, the terrorist group also known as ISIS. But police making the effort to get it right, particularly now, when anti-LGBTQ rhetoric is rampant, is meaningful. For some, merely seeing police being careful to refer to the victims using their correct pronouns this week signaled a seismic change. Discovery Company. Thursday evening, the writing was covered with a trash-bag-like material, but it blew off in the wind. But as the praying carried on and the woman urged May and her friend to turn to God, she felt as if praying had turned into preying. In an article by The Gazette, police confirmed a message was spray-painted in black paint onto a Focus on the Family sign at the ministry's headquarters in Colorado Springs. Its headquarters have been in Colorado Springs since 1991. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. When officials unfurled a 25-foot rainbow flag in front of Colorado Springs City Hall this week, people gathered to mourn the victims of a mass shooting at a popular LGBTQ club couldnt help but reflect on how such a display of support would have been unthinkable just days earlier. Juan Chavez, left, hugs Jennifer Horn as they join other Club Q supporters outside the Colorado Springs City Hall on Wednesday. Focus on the Family is known for its public stance against same-sex marriage and other LGBTQ issues. All Rights Reserved. @Tyler2ONeil A bartender who found a place to shine. Police, media and public officials have a responsibility to lead with respect, said Jay Brown, Human Rights Campaign senior vice president for programs, research and training, in a statement to CNN. Below you will find contact information and answers to a candidate questionnaire from The Gazette. Someone spray-painted the sign in front of the These attacks should come as no surprise to those familiar with this leftist groups political tactics. She suffered a gunshot wound to her face and her leg while her daughter was shot in the upper leg. When the Senate recently voted to codify same-sex marriage, holdouts included influential GOP Sens. Last year, SPLC Chief of Staff Lecia Brooks insisted that the Southern Poverty Law Center is not anti-Christian at all. If so, the least it could do is condemn the vandalism directed at Focus on the Family. We have to deal with this psychologically, physically. The influx of evangelical groups decades ago was at least in part spurred by efforts from the citys economic development arm to offer financial incentives to lure nonprofits. The alleged shooter, whose defense attorneys have said uses they/them pronouns, ran a website and posted several videos of other mass shootings, including ones at synagogues and mosques mainly in Europe, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department's Rebecca Joines, the lead detective on the case. Learn more about Willis here. AP writers Brittany Peterson and Jesse Bedayn in Colorado Springs contributed. The Jacksonville Sheriffs Office told ProPublica it was following its policy at the time, identifying victims based on medical examiner reports and the victims state ID. It unearthed memories of hearing things about LGBTQ people she saw as hateful and inciting. Colorado Springs, a city of about 480,000 located 70 miles south of Denver, is home to the U.S. Air Force Academy, as well as Focus on the Family, a prominent evangelical Christian ministry. Located in the shadow of the southern Rocky Mountains, the Colorado city of nearly 500,000 residents is home to five nearby military bases and the staunchly anti When you pump that demoralizing rhetoric into the atmosphere, when you supercharge the political environment to make it as hostile as possible toward LGBTQ people, someone has to pay the price, he told CNNs Jim Acosta on Sunday. Subscribe to Heres the Deal, our politics People gather at a makeshift memorial near the Club Q nightclub on Monday. Did you encounter any technical issues? In a press conference earlier this week, Vasquez said he wanted to identify the victims how they identified themselves, and how their families have loved and identified them.. / Community members gather for a vigil Sunday at the All Souls Unitarian Church in Colorado Springs. In the 1990s it became known as a home base for evangelical nonprofits and Christian ministries including the broadcast ministry Focus on the Family and the Fellowship of Christian Cowboys. But that may be irrelevant in court; as the Associated Press noted, hate crime laws focus on the victims, not the perpetrators. A suspect, who was reportedly tackled by club patrons before police arrived, remains jailed without bond. Politics here lean more conservative than in comparable-size cities. Mike Trout, a senior vice president for Focus on the Family, said none of the hostages was seriously injured. When the spray-painted message was shared on Twitter, several users supported the vandalism. 1996 - 2023 NewsHour Productions LLC. Campaign phone number: 719-210-1607. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Though the initiative passed in 1992, in 1995 the Supreme Court found that it violated the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. They merely follow the Bibles teaching on homosexual activity and gender, along with Jesus instructions to preach the Gospel and build up the church. Newsweek has reached out to the Colorado Springs Police Department for comment. 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