COLORADO SPRINGS — Several members of the LGBTQ+ community say there's been a decline in what they say are gay-friendly spaces in Colorado Springs. Now, several people and organizations are trying to change that.
"One of the main things anybody needs in life is to thrive," said Dara Hoffman, an LGBTQ+ resident who moved to Colorado Springs in the late 90s. They say they expected to find a very conservative town here, however, instead became familiar with a close-knit LGBTQ+ community.
"They took me to a couple of different bars in town. Hide and seek. There's a place called David's, and there were actually multiple options back then. Which, a lot of people are surprised to hear that," they said.
Hoffman has had experience helping people with counseling after the shooting at Club Q. They say the absence of that space, along with the closure of ICONS, has hurt the community.
"The fact that Club Q, especially so tragically and so immediately was taken from all of us, the ripple effects are honestly going to be felt forever," they said.
ICONS owners and husbands Josh Franklin and John Wolfe say the more than two-month closure has been hard on them and their employees.
"We made it our mission to sort of change the narrative and give this beautiful community a place to gather," they said.
Now, the pair is looking to purchase their own property to give a permanent home to LGBTQ+ people.
"A lot of people don't have a family or that kind of support, and this is a place they can have that kind of unconditional love and acceptance for their authenticity," said Wolfe.
"The more, the merrier!" said Franklin. "Our hope is to have several gay bars in town and have sort of a 'gayborhood' where people can really feel comfortable going place to place and celebrate who they are".
So far, ICONS has raised more than $26,000 since its owners started online fundraising last week. It's something that has Hoffman excited about the future.
"We're like 'alright, somebody's gonna have to do it'. So I hope through all the different conversations everyone's having, that we're going to, as often time happens with marginalized communities, we're gonna find a way to put it together," they said.
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