SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Local and national leaders took to social media on Sunday to condemn violence against LGBTQIA+ people after a shooting at a Colorado Springs nightclub left five people dead and over 18 injured, according to authorities.

The shooting happened on the eve of Transgender Remembrance Day, a holiday meant to honor the lives lost to anti-trans violence. A vigil will be held to remember the victims the in the Colorado Springs shooting at 6 p.m. on Sunday evening in Harvey Milk Plaza (on the corner of Castro and Market streets).

11:55 a.m.

Suzanne Forde, the Interim Director of San Francisco Pride shared a detailed statement with KRON4.

Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance – a day where we should be honoring the lives and memory of trans people lost to senseless violence. Instead, we mourn the losses of yet another hate crime against our community.

Republicans always say this is not the time to politicize gun violence, but that’s because they are complicit cowards to the gun lobby. These people should not have died in vain – this is the time to act.

We need true gun violence prevention now. But let’s not stop there. Let’s address the root of anti-LGBTQ+ violence. We need full equality. This is the time to memorialize their legacy by passing the Respect for Marriage Act

11:30 a.m.

The Transgender Law Center highlighted the significance of the violence happening on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance, “Let our grief be another form of love for those who’ve been taken from us this year. We grieve to remember, to carry on their memory, to piece together the beautiful parts of their lives. Our family. You’ll always mean the world to us.”

10:30 a.m.

California State Assemblymember Matt Haney said on Twitter, “Love and solidarity with transgender people, every day. Dangerous, hateful politicians are ramping up their attacks on trans people, stripping away their rights, and putting them directly at risk of violence. We will stand against that hate.

10:20 a.m.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a statement on her website about the incident.

Americans awoke this morning to horrific news: a brutal attack on an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs. Our hearts break at the senseless slaughter of least five beautiful souls and the many more injured or forever traumatized, at what was a sanctuary of safety and solidarity.

The attack on Club Q, which fell on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance, is despicable — further shattering the sense of safety of LGBTQ Americans across the country. While Democrats have taken important steps to combat gun violence this Congress, this deadly attack is a challenge to our conscience and a reminder that we must keep fighting to do more.

Thank you to the heroic individuals who stopped the gunman and to the brave first responders at the scene. May it be a comfort to the loved ones of those murdered and the Colorado Springs community that all of America mourns with them during this devastating time.

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10:15 a.m.

Candidate for Oakland Mayor, Sheng Thao, took to Twitter to share, “I am shocked and angered by the horrid attack on our LGBTQ community in Colorado. Brazen acts of violence like this have been tolerated for far too long and it is unacceptable Congress has not taken bold action against gun violence and rising hate in our country.”

9:45 a.m.

California Senator Scott Wiener shared his thoughts on Twitter as well, “The murder of LGBTQ people at Club Q didn’t occur in a vacuum. The right wing is stoking hate & violence against LGBTQ people — demonizing trans ppl & drag queens, calling gay men pedophiles, etc Club Q was set to have a drag brunch today. Anti-LGBTQ rhetoric has consequences.”

9:35 a.m.

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office posted statement on the shooting.

9:35 a.m.

Equality California released a statement which reads, “Heartbroken by the mass shooting at an #LGBTQ+ club in Colorado Springs. Hateful anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric + the lack of commonsense gun safety laws will continue to fuel this violence as long as politicians refuse to act. Our hearts are with the victims & families of those affected.”

9:30 a.m.

President Biden was among the first to post on Twitter. The President also released a detailed statement, included below.

While no motive in this attack is yet clear, we know that the LGBTQI+ community has been subjected to horrific hate violence in recent years. Gun violence continues to have a devastating and particular impact on LGBTQI+ communities across our nation and threats of violence are increasing. We saw it six years ago in Orlando, when our nation suffered the deadliest attack affecting the LGBTQI+ community in American history. We continue to see it in the epidemic of violence and murder against transgender women – especially transgender women of color. And tragically, we saw it last night in this devastating attack by a gunman wielding a long rifle at an LGBTQI+ nightclub in Colorado Springs.
Places that are supposed to be safe spaces of acceptance and celebration should never be turned into places of terror and violence. Yet it happens far too often. We must drive out the inequities that contribute to violence against LGBTQI+ people. We cannot and must not tolerate hate.
Today, yet another community in America has been torn apart by gun violence. More families left with an empty chair at the table and hole in their lives that cannot be filled. When will we decide we’ve had enough? We must address the public health epidemic of gun violence in all of its forms. Earlier this year, I signed the most significant gun safety law in nearly three decades, in addition to taking other historic actions. But we must do more. We need to enact an assault weapons ban to get weapons of war off America’s streets.
Today, Jill and I are praying for the families of the five people killed in Colorado Springs last night, and for those injured in this senseless attack.