Jacksonville LGBTQ+ community reacts to Colorado nightclub shooting

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville members of the LGBTQ+ community spoke out while attending the River City Pride Parade about the deadly gay nightclub shooting in Colorado on November 19.

Five people were killed and at least 25 others were injured late Saturday after a mass shooting at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado, authorities said.

Many people at the Incahoots nightclub in Jacksonville are asking why incidents like this are still happening.

We had a chance to speak with a young man and even a bar owner of the nightclub who says this is heartbreaking.

Stacey Ybarra is the owner of the local bar Incahoots. She believes some people in Colorado aren’t okay with the LGBTQ+ community.

“I don’t want to say I know 100% about what’s going on in their community in Colorado Springs, but I do know that there is a lot of ‘not gay okay’ there,” says Ybarra.

River city pride held a parade Sunday afternoon that was originally to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, but the celebration turned into a determination to stand strong together.

Alyssa Starke stated how the tragedy hit home.

“I wish I could say it’s surprising, but it’s not. It’s haunting,” says Starke.

The pride parade started at historic Willow Branch Park and ended in the five points business district, a 1.5-mile event with more than 120 people in attendance.

According to the human rights campaign the largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization., four transgender people have been killed in Florida in 2022, and two of those people were killed in Jacksonville

As for Incahoots, a man says there needs to be more love and less hate.

“Hate towards any community, hate towards people in general., it’s something that we need to get away from. I definitely think it was a targeted thing. I think it’s a horrible thing that happened. My thoughts and prayers go out to those who were affected by the shooting,” says the man.

November 20 also falls on Transgender Day of Remembrance, which honors the memory of those murdered because of anti-transgender prejudice.

For more information about Transgender Day of Remembrance, visit www.tdor.info.

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