Club Q’s staff and regular performers were left in a precarious financial position when the Nov. 19 shooting forced the business to close its doors for an indefinite period of time: an entertainer who is raising two teenagers, a dialysis patient whose appointments cannot wait, a producer who relied on Club Q as their only source of income, to name a few.

To help the Club Q family pay its bills, the community is invited to a benefit show Thursday at the Colorado Springs Auditorium. All proceeds will go to Club Q staff and performers whose incomes were disrupted.

More than 15 performers and counting will take the stage beginning at 7:30 p.m. Two special guest speakers will join from Pulse, the LGBTQ+ nightclub in Orlando where a 2016 shooting left 49 people dead.

The event will take a much lighter tone than recent vigils and services, said Tiara Latrice Kelley, a Club Q performer and primary organizer of the event.

“In this instance I would like for us to be able to have a moment, even if it’s just for a moment, to be able to kind of get away from the reality of the situation,” Kelley said. “Just the community being able to love on one another, the community being able to love on the Q family, in an environment where they felt safe and felt like they were appreciated.”

Colorado Springs clergy call for LGBTQ+ affirmation – and an end to ‘political, civic and religious hate speech’

Guests will enjoy a dessert bar and silent auction. The entertainment lineup includes familiar Colorado faces such as drag performers Buck Wild, Jessica L’Whor and Abstract Daddi, among others. There will also be a segment where “pretty much all of the Club Q entertainers that are able to” will perform on stage.

Response was immediate once Kelley posted a request for talent on social media, she said. Little outreach was necessary to pull together enough performers to fill several hours.

Kelley’s ties to Pulse – she previously performed at the Orlando nightclub – also connected the event to Pulse founder Barbara Poma and survivor Neema Bahrami. The two quickly booked flights to show their support for Colorado Springs.

Resources available to all who need help after the Club Q shootings

“We’ve all connected because we have something in common, which is not a great thing in common, but we grow from that and try to find a place of peace and love so we can be together and show the world that we will not give up and we will not let that hate win,” Bahrami said. “We can’t be stronger if we don’t unite.”

The venue, located at 221 E. Kiowa St., is supplying armed security via a private security company. The cost of admission is a $40 donation, which will be evenly split among Club Q staff and performers.

“All of us have these needs that can’t be interrupted,” Kelley said. “We’ve already lost so much. I didn’t wanna watch my family have to lose more.”

While the money is needed, Bahrami said the fundraiser is about much more than finances alone. Rather, it’s about showing the LGBTQ+ and Club Q communities that they are loved, supported and respected.

Community response to Club Q shooting could help Colorado Springs shed 30-year-old anti-gay image

Tickets will be on sale at the door or can be purchased in advance at ticketleap.com. If early displays of support are any indication, Kelley said a sold-out show is not out of question and encourages people to act early.

Organizers are also in the process of creating an online link so people across the globe can livestream the event and show their support virtually.

“So many people wanna know how can they help out, what can they do to help us,” Kelley said. “In this moment, this is going to be the greatest way that you can do that, to just show up and have a good time with us, be with us. Let us love on you, and love on us.”