Letters to the Editor: Colorado shooting doesn’t change this: LGBTQ+ people exist. Always have, always will.
On Sept. 24, an out gay man with a long and storied history of activism against the death penalty took his own life in an act of mass, violent revenge against those who have stood by and ignored his rights for far too long.
The night was a dark one for those in Denver and Colorado. The next day, two more men took their own lives, this time after being bullied and threatened by the shooter.
Our state’s LGBTQ+ community is strong and we stand strong — not in spite of but because of the legacy of LGBTQ+ activists who have led us to this point.
Colorado is one of the most LGBT-friendly states in the nation. Colorado is proud of its LGBTQ+ community and we are not ashamed to be so. We love each and every one of our residents — the individuals who live here, the businesses that support us, the students who attend our schools, and the businesses that serve our community.
But we must also recognize the work that LGBTQ+ people are doing to create a better, fairer place in this country.
We have, and we will continue to support, LGBTQ+ people who have been bullied, beaten, and killed because of who we are. We must also recognize that these crimes and atrocities are not isolated events.
When he went on a shooting rampage, Nikolas Cruz was in his 20s. He was openly gay, a former student of the University of Florida. He was a survivor of conversion therapy for his gender identity disorder. His suicide note says: “If I don’t have the strength to go on, I want to kill myself.”
That’s not exactly a call for violence — it’s a call for justice.
Our LGBTQ+ residents — our sisters, our brothers, our friends, our teachers, our neighbors — are more than able to lead this country. Our history teaches us that we are far more capable than we are often given credit for.
Our LGBTQ+ community is stronger than we have ever been before. And we will continue to grow, to thrive. Our communities are strong, and when we work together, we are unstoppable.
We have, and we will continue to support, LGBTQ+ people who have been bullied, beaten, and killed because of
