Season 4, Bonus 2

Hello, welcome to the Q Lounge. I'm

Eric. And

I'm Gil. We actually recorded our season finale a couple days ago, and that's gonna drop in a couple days, but we decided that we needed to get back on here because we wanted to discuss or talk about the tragedy that just happened in Colorado Springs. Yes, the shooting at Club Q. Yeah. If you don't know there was a mass shooting, targeted shooting at a gay club in Colorado Springs, again, Club Q where five people were killed and 18 have been injured, correct. So we just wanted to talk a little bit about that and to reach out to our fellow LGBTQ listeners, which I think is the bulk of our listener listening ship anyways and just try to create some. Sort of normalcy or safety, I don't know. Yeah, I woke up this morning to it, actually, one of our former guests had posted something about it and it came across my desk and I was like, what the hell is going on? And so obviously I had to go look up the different news sites and see what they were saying. And

I would say the headlines are pretty much the same, but I don't think. They are tar or they're trying not to make it a terrorist attack against the community, which I'm, like I said, it's same thing as Orlando. It's like just they're trying to find what the motive was. And I understand that, you tried to, but the same thing that we said before, if this was a white club, it was a person of color doing it. It would automatically be terrorism against, people. this has to be Al-Qaeda, this has to be something. There was, they're jumping that gun. But with it against the, our community, again, it's, what's the motive? What's going on here? Yeah. They're saying, but suddenly it's a full,

Yeah. They're saying it's too early to call it a hate crime. Yeah. Which it's a hate crime. Come on now. They did apprehend the assailant. I'm not gonna say his name. I just, he's a 22 year old. Yeah. And that's all I'm gonna say about that because that person doesn't deserve it. Absolutely. So I don't, I had posted something earlier about what a lot of people don't realize if you're not in the LGBTQ Q i A plus community is, and we had this discussion with Curtis when he was on our show, how The Club is often our first safe space. it's our first sanctuary. It's the first time we are able to be ourselves authentically or at least see ourselves authentically. Yeah. And be around people who get us, even if they don't, even if we haven't walked the exact same journey, which none of us have. We've walked similar enough journeys. The club provides that environment for you to typically feel safe. It's where you can let go of all your preconceived notions of what society's supposed to be and who you are supposed to be to fit into those societal norms. A place where you can bring your emotional turmoil and actually sift through it in a meditative kind of way. At least that was how it was for me. And I'm not trying to say that's how it's for everyone, but you get to see your, like I said, your authentic self shine through and be that light that you once had. It's a way to keep yourself from dimming. That's how the club's always been for me. I know I've gotten a lot of flack through the years oh, you're so old. I can't believe you still go to the club. I feel like I'm paying honor to the club cuz the club was the first place I ever felt. To be myself and to not care what other people wanted me to be. And I, it's just such a tragedy like Orlando was to me too. Yeah, it just hits, I've never been to Club Q, but I did used to live in Colorado and it's just, A gut punch to me, and yeah, I'm probably gonna break down and cry right now. You can probably hear it in my voice. I'm trying to not cry, but yeah, I just, I what are your thoughts

still? It's the same. It is the same thing. It's like it's a, an attack on the. Is just an attack everywhere. For us, for the community it's the same thing like what some minority groups the church means to. Exactly. If one goes down, it's an attack on the entire community, regardless if you've ever been there or not. Like I said, we, I've never been to the one in Orlando, but when that happened, it hit a cord. It hit something in me where it was like, I felt personally attempt, these are my brothers and sisters in that club that were or hurt. It's the same thing. What's going on in Colorado Springs? I've never been there. I've driven through obviously the city to get to Denver, but I personally have not gone through. But it's the fact that our community as a whole was attacked and this is something that we, it hurts. It still hurts. And yeah, we're getting older, but. It's still your first, you don't re, you don't forget your first time. Most of us have gotta the club, that's first time we gotta just be, you gotta see other people like you. like I said, even though same thing I do agree. We all walk the same path and who the hell does hell? You have siblings are the same upbringing and you guys come out completely

different. And Yeah. Your experiences are totally different. It's gonna

be completely different, but it's that same thing. It was a safe, it was my first safe space, or the first time I saw people like me, even though you have the Castro or stuff like that. But to really be in like in immersed completely and just oh my God. It's just, yeah it's hard. It's kinda hard that it's still happening. The's not done, and like you said, this is why we. Stricter gun laws. This is why we ask for certain things. It's just to live. We're not asking for an exemption or some kind of

we're literally just asking for equality and equal treatment. We're not asking for superior treatment

cause of all the clubs to go to. They've picked that one.

Yes, it was definitely, it was a target. It's probably what it's, it was target.

if you have, what? 10 clubs in Colorado Springs. One's gay you went after the one gay club. I'm just saying just, I don't know. I understand we have to do with due diligence and due process in law and I get it, but at the same time, some things just seem a little too obvious.

Yeah. It's by far the longest standing gay club in Colorado Springs. I think recently there's been a couple more, but it's one of the longest standing gay clubs in Colorado. This correct? As a state as a whole. I believe you have a couple others. Yeah. What you said, it's the attack on this is, it's an attack on the whole community and this is where I like waiver back and forth on. LGBTQ safe spaces and like whether we should let non LGBTQ people in because of things like this. Correct. And you wanna be inclusive and you want everyone to be able to come in and you wanna assimilate with society and everyone just have a kumbaya kind of moment. But the reality is society is not there. Correct. And it's hard to not necessarily put those guards up and be like, Nope, I, you're not doing this. And I'm just at a loss of words.

You bring up a really good, like I said, interesting point because it's that if you don't allow everyone in, then it looks like discrimination. But what You let everyone in and people somehow don't realize that somehow I, walking to a gay club that's, I could get hit on, oh my God, my ego's being, tarnish suddenly. Suddenly. And then the attack. Yeah. What the fuck? And we've never had. Not that we didn't have a text. God, Lord knows more cadd as hell. There could be a lot of remarks, but space that makes sense. And the same thing like, like here in the Bay Area with when we had they shut down a lot of the Halloween in the Castro for a long time because we had shootings. It wasn't because of the community we were shooting each other. It was because we had other people who were like, oh, I didn't realize it was like this. Yes. Yeah, you're gays here. Exactly. Or assuming you're, if you're walking into the cashew, the odds are you're probably, you might be gay. So yes, we're gonna, if we give you like, Hey, you look

handsome. It's a compliment. Yes,

it's a compliment, but you get people who are not used to that and like, what did you expect was gonna happen here? I don't know. I'm walked. Straight events, and there's been girls that are like, oh my God, you're cute. I'm like, oh, thank you. And I keep walking on it's not like I'm suddenly shooting down the goddamn

place. Yeah, exactly. It's I know sometimes the core of it is like internalized homophobia. It's uncom being uncomfortable. That's, I believe what happened with Orlando. But sometimes it. Straight up targeting I don't like these people because they go against what my book says, or the way I've been raised, or the way I've been taught, or whatever other excuse you wanna give. And I don't wanna make, I don't wanna presume anything and I don't wanna make assumptions about anything. It's a horrible event situation. It's like total tragedy. I urge anyone who's listening, if you have friends, family members that are part of the LGBTQ Q I A plus community, please reach out to them and make sure they're okay. Even if they, even if you don't live in Colorado or they don't live in Colorado Spring specifically still reach out to them because it still hits us. I don't live in Colorado anymore, and Gills doesn't live in Colorado. Neither of us are in Colorado at the moment. It's still a huge throat punch and a gut punch to us. Just as members of the community. Yeah. So I also urge if you can, I don't know any of the GoFundMe, I don't know if any of them set up right now, but if you see any, and you can donate. Please donate to funds to help these families. They're, they, yeah. I can't even imagine what they're going through right now. Damn. I can't believe we're having to do this podcast, this episode because of this. Do you have any final thoughts or comments, Gil?

Say you love your people when you see us. I think it's guys is here for once in a while to your loved ones. Cause you never know. Yeah. It's so unfortunate we're not there yet. Like I said, I hope my great grandkids will now have to deal with this shit. I, say it once in a while. Yeah. Cause I know I don't see it often enough,

I have recently started saying it to my friends. Yeah, but I don't say it very often either. And this is two times in a row, Gill, on the mic that you and I are both crying. right? Thank you everyone for listening. Again, our hearts go out. So those families, if you do come across any GoFundMe for those people affected by this tragedy, please think about donating if you can, and. We love you. Please live in your authenticity. Yes, be your authentic self and we will catch you later. Thank you.