Grand Junction LBGTQ group gathering to mourn Membership Q capturing

One other vigil will probably be held in Grand Junction this weekend for the victims of the Membership Q capturing, with organizers inviting individuals to assemble at Charlie Dwellington’s at 8pm Saturday.

The pub, which frequently hosts LGBTQ-friendly occasions, is taken into account the Western Slope metropolis’s unofficial homosexual bar. 

The occasion is being put collectively by an unbiased group led by queer group organizer Caleb Ferganchick. Ferganchick mentioned he and the remainder of Grand Junction’s LGBTQ group are struggling after the capturing that killed 5 individuals and injured 18 others.

“I feel significantly in rural communities or in communities like Colorado Springs which might be hyper Christian and hyper conservative, the specter of violence or the understanding that violence has the potential to occur. It’s all the time at the back of our minds.” mentioned Ferganchick. 

“So many marginalized individuals have a lot rage that we aren’t allowed to precise. I hope that the takeaway from that’s that we’ve obtained to do one thing or set up or wish to contact our legislators or have you learnt, something that we will.” 

Ferganchick, who identifies as queer, grew up in Delta, Colorado. He has lived in Grand Junction for over a decade and simply wrapped up an artist-in-residency with the Mesa County Libraries. 

He expressed his frustrations in a latest act of civil disobedience. In a video posted to TikTok and Fb, Ferganchick splattered what seemed to be blood on the Invoice of Rights monument at Grand Junction’s Regulation & Liberty Plaza. 

“Our blood is on their arms. It’s on the arms of legislators like Rep. Lauren Boebert, who continues dehumanizing campaigns towards America’s most marginalized and in danger populations,” Ferganchick says within the video. “They’re apathetic whereas our blood is spilled in nightclubs, purchasing facilities, faculties, and church buildings.”

Boebert represents Colorado’s third congressional district, which incorporates Grand Junction and the remainder of the Western Slope. Within the wake of the Membership Q capturing, she has confronted criticism over anti-trans legislation she has sponsored and past remarks against the LGBTQ community. Boebert recently defended her record in a radio interview.   

Ferganchick mentioned he believes vigils will not be sufficient to push change. However he hopes Saturday’s occasion encourages individuals to take motion. 

“I hope that we discover the area to mourn, however I additionally hope that in that area we discover the capability to mobilize and set up and truly do one thing,” Ferganchick mentioned.