Club Q Shooting

come hate in all its forms. We must work together to prevent a cowardly act of hate like this one from ever happening again. Particularly in our Catholic Ignatian school community, we are called by God to be more loving, accepting, and inclusive towards ALL people regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, and personal expression. Each innocent person murdered at the hands of anti-LGBTQ violence left behind an entire life with family members, friends, memories, dreams, and a future.

Derrick Rump was 38. He was a bartender at Club Q. “He was an awesome guy,” said one of his friends, “He was one of the sweetest, funniest, quirkiest smartasses you’d ever want to meet.”

Daniel Aston was 28. He was a trans man and a bartender at Club Q. “He lit up a room, always smiling, always happy and silly,” said his mother.

Kelly Loving was 40. She was a trans woman and had moved to Colorado just one month before the shooting. “She was loving, always trying to help the next person out instead of thinking of herself,” said her sister.

Ashley Paugh was 35. She left behind a husband and an 11-year-old daughter. Paugh worked at Kids Crossing, a local foster care organization, and labored to find loving homes for foster children, including working with the LGBTQ community to find placements. The shooter “took away the most beautiful soul from our family and many others over this ignorant, hateful, despicable act. She was the best aunt, mother, sister, wife, cousin, and niece, anyone could ever ask for,” said one family member in a social media post. She had a “huge heart” and “meant everything” to her family.

Raymond Green Vance was 22. It was Vance’s first time at the club, and he was there to celebrate a birthday with his family. “Raymond was a kind, selfless young adult, with his entire life ahead of him,” his family said. “His absence will leave irreparable heartbreak in countless lives.”

An Interview With A Gonzaga Unity Club Leader I had the privilege of interviewing Sam, a senior at Gonzaga and a leader in Unity Club.

Q: What can we do as a school to prevent hate in our community?

A: As someone who considers themself to be relatively open as a queer student, it's very prominent that the reason homophobia and transphobia exist at the school and remains prevalent is because of the lack of education and exposure that students receive regarding LGBTQ topics. I often hear certain things being referred to as "gay" and students tend to use that word in a derogatory manner or in a manner to put down other students, but when asked why that certain thing is considered "gay" they are unable to give a response. The faculty especially does a great job at being allies for students at the school, whether it's with posters or in their speech, they ensure safety among the student body. I think that embracing the idea that everyone is unique and has their own characteristics and their own way to dress or present themselves is one way the school can minimize hate. Another way is speaking up. It's so common that a student wants to speak up against homophobia or transphobia or any form of hate, but they back down because they're scared of how people may react or judge them. Assuring students that speaking up against hate is okay will allow students to be less afraid in the future.

Q: How are Unity Club members feeling after the shooting?

A: We discussed the shooting in one of our meetings and many of us felt a little uneasy about it as a whole. Seeing as it was not the first act of hatred towards the LGBTQ community, everyone was concerned and questioned whether or not it's safe to walk into a bar such as the one in Colorado without the fear of a shooter approaching. It was also reported that ing to bounce back with big games coming up against St Frances and two games vs St John’s, the 15th-ranked team in the country, playing them at home on February 16th. There is no doubt this season will continue to be an exciting one. after the shooting the shooter identified as a non-binary, and this could cause some of our members to tense up and wonder if identity is being weaponized. Overall, we felt that an open discussion was necessary and wanted to raise questions about how we felt as a community.

Q: How does the shooting affect the LGBTQ community in our school?

A: Some students at Gonzaga who identify as LGBTQ might not be out, or they may be in the closet. There are only so many people at Gonzaga who have comfortably shared who they are and how they want to present themselves, so I can only speak on behalf of so many students, but I can say that this may cause uneasiness among students who have not come out and whether or not they want to come out knowing this even happened.

Q: What are some of the current activities of the Unity Club?

A: We've done a bunch of stuff this year! We've worked with Mr. Duffy to create some rainbow wings out of paper feathers, we had two Gonzaga POC Alumni who also identify as queer come to speak to not only members of the Unity Club, but also members of ONYX, LASO, and AAPIC. Mr. D came and talked about Harvey Milk, who was a queer politician in San Francisco. We're also working on getting merch for the club! We hold meetings every Monday in Dooley Hall Room 303 at 2:30 and discuss issues in the queer community and issues at school, or we just chill and have a good time together. It is a very welcoming community and we accept everyone! The club acts as a safe space for our queer students and allies at Gonzaga.