Content Provided by City of Fort Lauderdale

November 20th, 2022

“Overnight, our nation experienced yet another act of horrific and senseless violence. We again mourn the loss of life and the bloodshed of a mass shooting. My deep condolences go out to the friends and families of the five people who were killed in Colorado Springs and pray for the 25 others injured. 

For those of us in Florida’s LGBT community, the shooting at Club Q awakens painful memories of the grim events of June 2016 at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. Club Q and Pulse were supposed to be safe places where people could come together to socialize and have fun, and instead, they now stand as gruesome reminders of our nation’s failure to address gun violence. 

Today is also International Transgender Day of Remembrance when we should stop to reflect and remember those we have lost in the transgender community. The day is observed annually and honors those who have been murdered as a result of bigotry against the transgender community and draws attention to the violence experienced by trans people all over the world. Sadly, 2022 has seen at least 32 transgender and gender non-conforming people killed in the United States, with several being from Florida. 

Violence against the LGBT community cannot be tolerated, and sensible gun regulations are needed in order to ensure everyone’s safety — in church, in school, at work, at a movie theater and everywhere else.”