Dec 5, 2022
What will you do when your community is under assault? In our increasingly fractured society, in which elected officials demonize marginalized people and threaten violence when elections don’t go their way, this is a question based in reason, not hyperbole. Hate crimes in the form of mass shootings have become a regular feature of American life. For Nadine Bridges, executive director of One Colorado, the state’s largest advocacy organization for the civil rights and advancement of LGBTQ people, the answer is to strengthen connections and keep moving forward. She is still processing the killing of beloved community members at Club Q, long considered a safe and inclusive space in Colorado Springs. Her small and courageous staff of 13 are organizers, policy advocates, social workers and power-building champions of LGBTQ Coloradans and their families. Over time, they have achieved so much, from marriage equality to empowering LGBTQ students and their allies to expanding health and human services. They do not want the thoughts and prayers of politicians who ignite the hate. As Nadine says, they want accountability. Please hear her and act, in peace.