FAMILY AND GRATITUDE
Cindy Maddera
Missy B’s
Gaels Public House and Sports
Woody’s KC
Side Kicks Saloon
Sidestreet
Buddies
These are all safe places for our LGBTQ+ community to gather and any one of them could be Club Q. Politics is just a symptom of the division in this country. It is a symptom of fear, an emotion that drives hate and jealousy. The people in this country who consistently support and elect government officials who promote hate are people who feel small and scared. They are jealous of those who live their lives authentically. They will go to their graves being fearful of those who are different and filled with hate for those of us who are brave enough to love. I’m not saying we should feel sorry for these people, though I do pity them. I’m saying that they will not be swayed into another way of thinking.
Our voices have got to be louder, our actions bigger.
Two-thirds (64%) of respondents had experienced anti-LGBT+ violence or abuse. Of those that had experienced anti-LGBT+ violence and abuse: 9 in 10 had experienced verbal abuse (92%). 3 in 10 had been subject to physical violence (29%). 2 in 10 had experienced sexual violence (17%).
Ways to help Club Q victims:
Good Judy Garage raising money for funeral and medical costs
Michael and I are spending Thanksgiving with the family I built, a group of men who introduced me to all of those places I listed above. When Richard Fierro was interviewed about tackling the Club Q gunman, he said that all he was thinking was that he had to protect his family. I can’t say that I would not do the same. I am so grateful to have them in my life. They make me a better human just by knowing their names. In a memorial service this week, one of our grad students said “I love all of you. I wish I had said this more often, but I am no longer waiting to say it. I love you.”
I love all of you.