| Our hearts are broken as we mourn the loss of five precious souls, murdered at Club Q in Colorado Springs on Saturday evening; we pray fervently for the recovery of 25 people who were injured, many of them gravely. This shooting is the deadliest attack on LGBTQ people since the Pulse massacre in 2016, and occurred just before this year’s Transgender Day of Remembrance. Only a few days ago, the National Center for Transgender Equality released a report that at least 47 transgender people were killed in the past year. In addition, this horrible shooting occurred against the background of the introduction of more than 300 anti-LGBTQ bills in 36 states during the past year (to say nothing of the continued easy availability of high-powered, rapid-fire guns).
One of the mourners at a gathering in Colorado Springs noted that “Club Q has been around for 21 years. It was a haven and is still a haven, for those of us who have been lost, discarded, discounted. Our hearts break…but we shall not be moved.”
We too shall not be moved in our standing with our LGBTQ brothers and sisters in the face of hatred, violence and discrimination. May the dear ones of those who list their lives yesterday somehow find comfort, consolation, and loving support, and may those who were injured heal speedily and completely.
“Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed…
For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
I will abide in Your tent forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.”
(Psalm 61:1-4)
Rabbi Adam Rubin, Beth Jacob Congregation, Mendota Heights, MN 11/24/2022 |
