The Cost of Hate
- Micah Caswell (they)
- Nov 17
- 3 min read
We have a heavy task this week: to remember those we lost, but also to ask what we are doing now to make sure they are never forgotten and how we can protect ourselves and each other moving forward.
On November 19, 2022, five lives, including a trans woman, were taken in the shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs. As we mark the anniversary of losing Kelly Loving, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump, Ashley Paugh, and Raymond Green Vance, I am reminded that hate does not live in some faraway place. It happens here, in our state, in our communities, in places we call home.
The day after that anniversary, November 20, is Transgender Day of Remembrance, when we honor the trans and nonbinary people we have lost to anti-trans violence and discrimination.
Two days. One truth.
The attack on Club Q was targeting queer and trans people who sought out a safe space. The violence that kills trans people has the same goal, to threaten our existence and make us afraid. In every community, across every state, efforts to dehumanize us are alive and well. These efforts send the message that some people do not belong, that they are lesser, that they are expendable.
We cannot think of the tragedy at Club Q as isolated, and we cannot think of trans lives lost as isolated, if we mean to do justice by their memory. We must fight for the safety and dignity of all trans people, especially the trans women of color who are most often the target of violence.
Remembrance takes work.
We remember faces. We remember names. We remember the families and friends of those we lost. As painful as it is, I do not write this only to mourn. I write this to say that remembrance without action is not enough.
Because every time someone says, “This can’t happen here,” and then it does, we are being tested. Are we going to turn this into more than grief? Are we going to build the kind of community where nobody wakes up fearing that their identity makes them a target?
What we must do now.
Hold space for every trans and queer person lost to hate, for every family changed, for the fear and the grief that will not vanish overnight.
Name what happened and why it matters. This is not just “a tragedy.” It is the result of cultures and policies that allow hate to flourish.
Build safety in our schools, our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and our policies and laws. Advocacy matters, showing up matters, and every voice counts.
Remember to breathe. Change is urgent, but so is our wellbeing. Giving ourselves permission to feel, to heal, and to rest is important.
Support local LGBTQ+ safe spaces to gather, grow, and build a more inclusive future for all of us.
This week we hold the queer and trans people we’ve lost to violence. The memory of lives taken will sharpen our fight for all of us to live in freedom and dignity, without fear.
Join us as we honor and remember transgender and nonbinary lives lost to violence, hate, and discrimination:
November 20, 2025
5:30pm - 8:45pm
Equality Center of the Rocky Mountains in Boulder
November 20, 2025
6pm - 8pm
Center for Creativity in Fort Collins
