Photo: David Zalubowski/AP/Shutterstock
Saturday night’smass shooting at a nightclubin Colorado Springs, Colorado, was the latest in a long line of attacks at LGBTQ bars and clubs. Many of those attacks have been carried out specifically to kill as many gay and lesbian people as possible.
After the shooting at Club Q, in whichfive people were killedand at least 18 were injured, President Joe Bidentweeted his condolencesfor the victims and their families — and called for change.
“Jill and I are praying for the families of the five people killed in Colorado Springs, and for those injured in this senseless attack,” he wrote. “Gun violence has a particular impact on LGBTQI+ communities across our nation…we must drive out the inequities that contribute to violence against LGBTQI+ people. We cannot tolerate hate.”
As the suspected Colorado Springs shooter faces preliminary hate crime charges, here are other episodes of violence at LGBTQ establishments in recent American history.
UpStairs Lounge: New Orleans, 1973
On June 24, 1973, a fire broke out at the UpStairs Lounge in New Orleans, Louisiana. By the time the flames were extinguished, 32 people were dead from fire and smoke inhalation and 15 more were injured.
Police suspected that a patron who had been kicked out of the bar started the fire, but were unable to gather enough evidence to charge him. The suspect, Roger Dale Nunez, took his own life a year later. The case was never solved.
According to police, several masked gunmen entered the adult bookstore, which was known to attract gay customers. After shooting the men execution-style, they set the bookstore on fire.
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While authorities suspected that a white supremacist group was responsible for the murders, they were unable to secure convictions. The case remains officially unsolved.
Otherside Lounge: Atlanta, 1997
On Feb. 21, 1997, Nearly 100 people were in at the Otherside Lounge, a lesbian bar in Atlanta. Shortly after 9:45 pm, a pipe bomb exploded on the patio. Five people were injured in the attack. When police arrived, they found a second bomb hidden in the parking lot.
The club never fully recovered from the incident and closed two years after the bombing.
Backstreet Cafe: Roanoke, 2000
Dozens of people were enjoying an evening out with friends on Sept. 22, 2000, at the Backstreet Cafe, a gay bar in Roanoke, Virginia. Shortly before midnight, a man in a trench coat walked in and opened fire on the patrons, killing one man and severely injuring six more.
The man, later identified as Ronald Gay, later testified in court that he was “a Christian soldier working for my Lord” and had been sent on a mission to kill lesbians and gay men. Using homophobic slurs during his testimony, Gay also said that he was deeply upset that his sons had to change their surname because of what the word “gay” now meant.
Gay is now serving multiple life sentences for murder. He is not eligible for parole.
Pulse Nightclub: Orlando, 2016
In the most deadly attack at a gay bar in U.S. history, a gunman entered Pulse Nightclub in South Orlando and opened fire using a semiautomatic weapon. More than 300 people were inside when the shooting began.
For hours, the gunman continued his violent spree before he was shot and killed. At one point, he called a local news station and claimed that the shooting was in retaliation for a U.S. bombing of an ISIS leader in Iraq, although he had no ties to the terrorist group.
By the time the shooting was over, 49 people were killed and more than 100 others were injured. In the aftermath, dozens of witnesses came forward and said that the shooter — who was married to his second wife and had a young son — was a regular at Pulse nightclub who used gay dating apps.
source: people.com
