COLORADO SPRINGS — Over the weekend, the LGBTQ+ community and allies came together to celebrate pride in downtown Colorado Springs. It was also an opportunity to honor the victims and survivors of the Club Q shooting.
Pikes Peak Pride was the first event like it since the shooting at Club Q last November that took the lives of five people. For families and a community still healing, this weekend meant so much.
On Sunday, hundreds of people walked in the pride parade. At the front were Club W survivors and family members of the victims, including Sabrina and Jeff Aston. They lost their son Daniel Aston during the shooting on November 19.
During the parade, the Astons kept their son close, and carried this photo of Daniel with a poem he wrote.
“He wrote poetry from an early age, and he was always happy whenever he came to visit us. He would bring a lot of joy into our house, and he is just a great person, just a great guy,” said Jeff.
Being a part of Pikes Peak Pride has also helped them keep Daniel's memory alive.
“So many different people have come to us and said, ‘we knew Daniel, we love Daniel.' So that gave us a whole new set of friends,” said Sabrina. “Yesterday was hard. All the memories came back about Daniel and it was an emotional day,” said Jeff.
Jeff said the community has embraced and supported their family since November. He also said they’ve relied on support from other victims families, and said it’s a bond that has brought them close together.
Behind the survivors and family members of the victims during the parade, was Richard Fierro and his family.
Fierro was named the grand marshal for the parade for his heroic actions. He's the local veteran who helped take down the shooter.
“I’ve never done anything like this. So for me it was it was extra special, especially from a community that has welcomed me with open arms,” said Fierro. “It’s just friendly and loving. That's what's really cool, is pride isn't just about a single community about everybody right? It's about showing out for your friends and your family.”
For many, Pikes Peak Pride was the the rainbow after tragedy and another step in healing.
“It’s like a start over, hopefully we can move forward and get past tragedy and have some joy,” said Fierro.
“We were glad to be able to be a part of it, it really cheered us up,” said Sabrina.
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