Colorado springs gay
How Colorado Springs, with a history of hate, built LGBTQ safe spaces after the Club Q shooting
Ashtin Gamblin, a survivor of a November mass shooting that killed five people at a gay bar in Colorado, is still recovering from her injuries several months later.
The scars on her arms and chest, where she was shot nine times, are unmissable on her skin.
“I'm still dealing with my right arm being fractured and we have just recently gotten a piece of shrapnel out,” she said.
“They were unable to remove it during my surgeries. So we're just waiting for it to slowly work its way out. I'm still trying to work on straightening my arms and gaining the function of my hands,” she added.
The tragedy traumatized her both physically and emotionally, she said, – but it also emboldened her.
Gamblin said she has distant been supportive of the LGBTQ group as an ally.
She worked the front door of the bar, Club Q, with her shut friend Derrick Rump, a gay bloke who worked at the venue as a bartender.
“He was my partner in crime, so to speak,” she said.
Rump was a victim in the tragedy. He and Daniel Aston, another coworker of Gamblin’s who was killed that night, were bot
Embracing Pride: Celebrating the Gay Community in Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs is a city acknowledged for its breathtaking landscapes, amiable communities, and an ever-growing diverse and dynamic population. As June rolls in, so does Identity Month — a time of vibrant celebration, reflection, and representation for the LGBTQ+ community. Let’s explore the inclusive spirit blooming in Colorado Springs and discover some of the thriving LGBTQ-owned and LGBTQ-friendly businesses that make Pride Month every month in the Pikes Peak Region.
LGBTQ+ Businesses
A growing collective of LGBTQ-owned businesses offer an abundance of options to endorse Pride in Colorado Springs — from bookstores to salons to gyms.
- Icons: Josh Franklin and John Wolfe, two former Broadway stars, opened Icons in 2020 — a gay piano bar in downtown Colorado which celebrates icons in the LGBTQ community through artwork, live music, and weekly events like drag bingo and trivia night.
- Club Q: For many years, Club Q was the only LGBTQ night club in Colorado Springs. The club has stood strong even after enduring the unthinkable mass shooting in late 2022, supported by the local community and agencie
LGBTQIA2+ Businesses and Resources
Around the Block Health Care
At Around The Block, we’re consecrated to providing comprehensive, compassionate care. Our services include central care, psychiatry, addiction medicine services, counseling and group therapy sessions. Our clinic offers both telehealth and in-person visits, allowing us to serve individuals throughout Colorado.
Groundswell Counseling LLC
Groundswell Counseling provides Homosexual affirming counseling and mental health services to all members of the Diverse community. Whether you're struggling with anxiety and perfectionism, exploring your identity, or navigating a hard life transition, you deserve a therapy space that feels safe and empowering. Groundswell Counseling provides holistic talk therapy rooted in sport performance psychology to support you as a whole person and hold room for all the parts of your identity.
Harmonizing Wellness Institute
Harmonizing Wellness Institute is a holistic pain relief specialist with the tools to orchestrate your overall physical, mental, sentimental and spiritual unity. Nina has appointments & classes accessible where she uses her skills to help tune your physical, mental,
Colorado Springs Gay City Guide
Colorado Springs is Colorado’s second-largest city, and one of its most beautiful. Residence to Pikes Peak, Cheyenne Mountain, and plenty of Rocky Mountain beauty, it is a city that is not short on incredible scenery. Beyond its beautiful vistas, however, it is a city with much to offer – and a city with a growing and thriving LGBTQ community that would make a wonderful place to call home.
A Gaze at Colorado Springs’s History
Before its official founding, the area that is now Colorado Springs was once a central part of the American Frontier. Elderly Colorado City, which was built in 1858 during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush, was the first official settlement in the region. Shortly thereafter, in 1869, General William Jackson Palmer, a Civil War hero initially from Pennsylvania, made his first go to to the area. When he did so, he fell in love with the area, and a year later, founded the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad there, and purchased the land to design Colorado Springs. Colorado Springs began to grow and has grown steadily since that time, helped in no small part by its sunny conditions and generally dry and mild climate. The city gr