Club Q is expected to reopen in the fall with enhanced security measures and a permanent tribute to the five people killed by a shooter who opened fire in November at the LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs.
The club will be redesigned with new screening technology that its owners hope can become “a model for countless queer spaces across the country,” management said Monday in a post on its Instagram page. The club is working with a women-owned architecture company in Colorado Springs along with local, state and federal agencies to rebuild.
“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,” co-owner Matthew Hayes said in the post. “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. We look forward to being able to gather as one community again.”
The announcement comes nearly three months after an assailant entered the club with an AR-15-style rifle and opened fire, shattering a sense of safety at one of the city’s few remaining spaces where many said they could be themselves without fear.
In its announcement Monday, Club Q said two victims of the shooting have joined the club’s staff and will be part of the club’s efforts to rebuild and plan outreach with the community.
The club’s management said it has crafted “an equitable formula” to support former Club Q employees and third-party entertainment contractors who lost income due to the sudden closure of the club. Money raised through the club’s fundraiser page will be distributed to them starting Friday, according to the post.
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Club Q also plans to use funds gathered through its official GoFundMe page to fund the permanent tribute for the five people killed, survivors of the attack and the thousands of other people affected.
The five people killed in the shooting were Daniel Aston, Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh and Derrick Rump. At least 18 people were also injured.
The accused shooter, Anderson Lee Aldrich, faces 323 counts, including first-degree murder charges, more than 70 counts of attempted first-degree murder, 48 counts of bias-motivated crimes and dozens of counts of first-degree assault. A preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 22.