MOSAIC, the Kramer Family Library and the Queer Student Alliance hosted events on Nov. 19 and 20 to reflect on the legacy of deceased members of the trans community in light of Trans Day of Remembrance and Resilience and the three-year anniversary of the Club Q shooting.
At the first event, participants designed jars to memorialize the loss of trans people from Colorado in the KFL. They also painted a banner provided by MOSAIC, which will be displayed on campus and during Pike’s Peak pride events in June 2026.
The Senior Program Director for the MOSAIC Office, Rafael Norwood, shared statistics on trans deaths. According to Norwood, there have been over 300 trans deaths reported globally, including 58 in the United States. Of those deaths, 27 were violent and 21 were suicides.
According to LGBTQ Nation, transgender people are four times more likely to experience violent victimization, such as assault, rape and murder, than cisgender people.
“Every trans person should be able to have a rich and impactful life,” Norwood said.
In his presentation, Norwood honored five trans Coloradans who have passed: Leah Jo, Jax Gratton, Gabrielle “Cam” Nguyen, Lily-Dawn Harkins and Blaze Aleczander Balle-Mason. He also included a page for those who were killed in Club Q, renamed The Q after the shooting.
Norwood emphasized that the event was an opportunity to remember lost trans lives, not focus on their deaths.
“[This is] a moment to honor and continue to act toward their legacy,” Norwood said.
At the second event, participants painted stars with messages to and from the LGBTQIA+ community in the MOSAIC center while reflecting on the impact of the Club Q shooting. The stars will be displayed in the library.
Members of the United Court of Pikes Peak Empire (UCPPE) — Mesha Narie Fierce, Joseph Shelton and Jason Hick — were panelists at the event. UCPPE is a non-profit organization founded in 1970 that hosts charities and brings together the community at large for safe LGBTQIA+ events.
The members from UCPPE spoke about how valued Club Q was by the community. Fierce has been part of The Q since 2007, Shelton helped host events at the club since 2016 and Hicks, a four-time drag princess royalty winner, has been a part of Club Q since 2007.
Hicks said that Club Q helped bond the LGBTQIA+ community across Colorado. “It became a more state-wide thing, and people were coming from Denver,” he said.
The three panelists said that Club Q helped them find a way to express themselves in a safe and joyful space. “It was really a place where we could just go laugh. You meet people and you have fun,” Fierce said.
“When we lose queer spaces such as that, there is a huge ripple effect that happens across the community. But hopefully over time, the new generations come, and they are now building their own community,” Norwood said.
The panelists offered advice for young queer people and for those building community in Colorado Springs. “There are other places that will welcome you, other people that will welcome you. Build those systems for yourself that make you feel most authentic and most welcome in that room,” Shelton said.
Quoting former United States representative Shirley Chisholm, Shelton said, “And if there is no place for you, then pull up the damn seat and put yourself at that table.”
The artwork created by the community at these events will be showcased in the library’s 3rd floor display case starting Dec. 4.
Members create a banner in remembrance. Photo by Olivia Davis.