Statement on Club Q (11/22/22)

We are heartbroken to hear of the shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs.

Club Q is a place which should have been safe - made by and for queer folks, to go out, have fun, and relax. But minutes before midnight, before the clock turned to national Transgender Remembrance Day, that safety was violated.

We grieve with those who lost loved ones, those who survived with injuries in more than their bodies, and with the whole community who has to process yet another attack on their basic human rights.

There is no such thing as a mass shooting that makes sense.

Yet in the minds of some people, such violence can appear justified. And it is no secret why: we recognize the role of the Church in supporting, platforming, and perpetuating violence against queer folks. We condemn the Church’s complicity in this horrific act. And we work and pray for the day when God’s queer children flourish. Receiving only blessings and treatment that honors their inherent beauty, worth, and dignity.

Yet we have hope. Though all forms of church have at times been complicit, God never has. The core of our faith affirms that all queer individuals were created in the image of God, and do not have to change a thing to be sustained, supported, and wrapped in divine love.

In solidarity with the queer community, who is us, and our loved ones, we pray.

Amen

From the Board Members of the LGBTQIA+ Affirming Ministries of Pittsburgh, including:

Katherine Davoli, Chair (Member, Sixth Presbyterian Church)

Kristin Horner (Elder, The Open Door Presbyterian Church)

Rev. Erin Jones (Pastor, Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community)

Wil Forrest (Member and Staff, East Liberty Presbyterian Church)

Rev. Caitlin Werth (Pastor, Waverly Presbyterian Church)
Rev. Steven Werth (Pastor, Riverview United Presbyterian Church and The Community House Church)

Carol Chonoska (Elder, East Liberty Presbyterian Church)