Supporting the LGBTQ+ Community
A letter from Aspen Snowmass President & CEO, Mike Kaplan, on the tragedy at Club Q.
November 20, 2022
Today, November 20, is Transgender Day of Remembrance, which honors the memory of people killed in acts of anti-transgender violence. It’s hard to believe that minutes before midnight last night, there was a shooting at Club Q, an LGBTQ+ night club in Colorado Springs, killing five people and injuring at least 18 others.
This type of tragedy is becoming alarmingly frequent in our country, and last night’s events in Colorado were far too close to home. Members of the LGBTQ+ community are four times more likely to suffer from violent crimes than non-LGBTQ+ individuals.
Last night’s mass shooting makes it clear that we must move beyond striving for a culture of inclusion and tolerance. We need an anti-hate movement.
There is more to do, and we welcome employees to be part of the process. If you have thoughts or feedback on how to make our company more tolerant and inclusive, please email Hannah Berman at hberman@aspensnowmass.com.
For those of you who are hurting or scared, we want to emphasize that we are a safe workplace and resources are available through our employee benefits, The Hope Center and AspenOUT.
If you are looking for a place to honor the victims and Transgender Day of Remembrance, AspenOUT, the host organization of Gay Ski Week, has arranged a vigil at Bluebird Coffee House in Glenwood Springs this evening at 6pm.
The LGBTQ+ community is part of who we are. For most tragedies, we see the American flag at half-mast. Today we will fly our Pride Flag high.
Mike Kaplan
President & CEO
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