Colorado LGBTQ Nightclub shooting affecting local community

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - The LGBTQ+ Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs is having an impact in the LGBTQ+ community across the country, including here in Northeast Wisconsin. The mass shooting made many businesses re-examine their security measures.

The Napalese Lounge in Green Bay is one of Wisconsin’s oldest gay bars. They say their customers are very close-knit and the lounge serves as a safe space.

The bar’s communications director, Justis Tenpenny, says the Green Bay Police Department reached out to them after the Colorado shooting, saying they would be increasing patrols in the area. He says in light of the shooting, many people in the LGBTQ community here in Green Bay have been sharing their grief over the attacks and honoring those who died.

“This has really brought a lot of us together in a way where we’re able to support each other and work with each other through kind of what we’re all feeling,” Tenpenny said.

“We’re not going to live in fear, we’re not going to slink away... we’re going to keep confidently being who we are and keep fighting for progress in our community and in our nation,” he added.

The Napalese Lounge is hosting a fundraising event on December 17 and 18 to benefit the families of the Club Q shooting victims.

More details are available on their Facebook page.

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