Club Q to reopen in new location at the Satellite Hotel in Colorado Springs, rebrand as "The Q"
It's been nearly a year since a gunman took the lives of five people and injured several others at LGBTQ nightclub Club Q. Now, the Colorado Springs nightclub will get a new address and a new name.
"It feels on one hand like this happened yesterday and on the other hand like this happened a lifetime ago," said shooting survivor Michael Anderson, who is also the VP of Operations for Club Q.
"There are days when everything feels surreal and you're still trying to grasp that this happened," said Ashtin Gamblin, who was shot nine times while working the front door at Club Q.
In that time, survivors have been split on where and if the club should reopen.
"Immediately after the shooting we had hundreds of messages flowing in from around the country encouraging us to stay strong, to reopen, to stand our ground and not let hate win," said Anderson.
While some called for a reopening at the same site, Gamblin and others disagreed.
"Our friends died there. Community blood was spilled there. Nobody wants to party and dance where their friends died," said Gamblin.
"It's because we've listened to the varying opinions over the past year that we've decided to take a new approach," said Anderson.
That's why club leadership ultimately decided to reopen inside the historic Satellite Hotel, where the rebranded club "The Q" will be a lounge environment and a safe space for drag performances.
"We will stand strong with our drag community, we will stand strong with our trans community and The Q will be a safe space for all stripes of the rainbow," said Anderson.
"I'm glad that it's not in the same location but there's just been so much contention and strife that we don't wanna see it at all," said Gamblin.
Gamblin says she'll attend I'm memorials for victims, but won't be visiting The Q, due to ongoing tensions with leadership.
"Mainly out of anger. I could care less about their reopening. I don't want to personally see it," said Gamblin.
Anderson hopes the new location will mend that strife and unify the community.
"We hope that this can be a bridge for everybody and bring everybody back together," said Anderson.
The Q aims to be up and running before the end of 2023.
The old Club Q location will remain closed and vacant, but construction will soon begin on a permanent memorial to victims just outside.
