The First Congregational Church was packed with supporters of the Out Loud Colorado Springs Men’s Chorus on Sunday. A friend spontaneously invited me to the holiday concert. It brought a mix of emotions less than two weeks after the mass shooting at Club Q six miles away.
The thunderous applause began as the choir walked on stage, lasting almost 5 minutes before the music started.
The main purpose of Out Loud is to welcome the LGTBQ+ community through music. The volunteer choir of 40 people last weekend ranged from singers, dancers and actors to mechanics, doctors, lawyers, and teachers. And they sang with emotional abandon. With a group of professional sounding instrumentalists, it was the ultimate safe space. You could feel the celebration of love over evil. Courage over cowardice. Joy and laughter rang through the hall, through tears caused by the senseless acts of terror thrust upon this Colorado Springs community only a couple of weeks ago.
Where to find resources and how to help after the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs
The program, the creativity and the energy of the show could have been on Broadway. Over 400 people in the audience gave their undivided attention. The crowd was right with these performers, who were singing together for the first time in almost three years because of the pandemic, with moments of hilarity, nostalgia, and tears.
In the aftermath of Club Q, this LGBTQ+ community and its supporters showed that it will not crumble, that love trumps hate and courage trumps fear. And the courage and love I heard in that church has this listener believing that peace on earth, good will to all, will triumph.
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