The tragic mass shooting at an Orlando nightclub last weekend hit close to home for many and especially those who call the local gay bar in Regina a place to ‘come home to.’
The shooting is considered the worst mass shooting in US history. 49 people lost their lives and dozens more were wounded when a gunman opened fire at a popular gay night club in Orlando, Florida.
The tragedy left many in shock and left to cope, including Regina’s LGBTQ community.
In the wake of the shooting, Regina’s Q Nightclub & Lounge Owner Cory Oxelgren, reflects on the changes in attitudes towards the LGBTQ community and how his club has been a touchstone in Regina.
A: First and foremost what went through your mind when you heard about the shooting, it must hit close to home being the manager of Q?
A: It was quite a tragic event and came as a shock. I know the gay and lesbian community have made great strides in equality, in legislation, through marriage, through many other issues – however there are still a number of people out there that we need to do some work with.
In this case it was something that could happen anywhere because there’s still a lot of hate out there we need to work on.
Q: You’ve been with Q for quite some time, how have you seen mentalities change in Regina?
A: It’s absolutely amazing how far we’ve come in 10 years, let alone 20. I was involved in the mid 1990’s in the gay and lesbian community in Regina. At that time the mentalities in the city was you kind of had to keep under cover, and everything was underground. The club itself was underground, there were no sign, no lights at the front door. When we moved onto Broad Street and put up a great big rainbow sign there was a lot of concern by some members that, ‘well, we’re going to be target then.’ But what ended up happening was…nothing. It was totally fine and in fact I think it was healthy because it started to show we were part of the community and business community in Regina.
Q: Now Q is so much more than just a nightclub. It’s a nonprofit and in wake of this tragedy it’s been described by some as a ‘safe haven’?
A: It is a private members club. Of course we always invite guests and allies to join us but it s a private members club. Over the years it’s become the home of people who just came out and had to deal with their own personal issues. So, they come down to the club and they are involved in many things we do down there. It’s very much a community centre and as times have changed, things have changed over the last little while.
Clearly gay, lesbian, and transgender people are more accepted. So you can go to any restaurant, any bar and feel safe but yet the club itself people can still come home to.