Colorado Springs community to celebrate first Pride since Club Q tragedy
11 News spoke with Pikes Peak Pride grand marshal Richard Fierro, one of the people who took down the suspect inside Club Q, ahead of the festival and parade
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Pride Month began across the country on Wednesday, and the month marks the first Pride in Colorado Springs since the Club Q tragedy in November 2022.
Pikes Peak Pride organizers told 11 News that this year’s celebration will also be a commemoration of that tragedy: of the five lives lost and the many others forever changed.
One of the ways they’re doing this is by naming Richard Fierro, one of the people who disarmed and took the suspect down, this year’s grand marshal. Organizers said survivors will also walk alongside Fierro during the parade, and they’ve been involved through a large portion of the planning process.
Fierro spoke with 11 News Reporter Lauren Watson Wednesday about the upcoming celebration and what the title means to him.
Fierro and naval officer Thomas James tackled the gunman, stopping the massacre and holding the suspect down until police could arrest them. Fierro said James and the others there that night have become like family to him. He said it’s been touching to see the community rally around everyone who was there the night of the tragedy, and he was also touched by organizers’ decision to name him grand marshal.
“I’m just very, very touched to have even been selected and brought and welcomed into the community that I’m not a part of,” Fierro said. “I’m a straight guy, you know? And it was beautiful that they were welcoming that way and asking me to do that.”
Fierro also said he’s excited to see people show up for the event this year who may have never been to Pride before.
“I’m welcoming everybody out there, I think everybody for Pride is welcoming everybody they can,” Fierro said, “and that’s my biggest excitement, is hopefully there will be a lot more folks there.”
Groups like Pikes Peak Pride and Inside Out Youth Services told 11 News Wednesday that this month’s celebrations are crucial to a community that has been so harshly impacted in the past year.
The Pikes Peak Pride Festival and Parade will be held June 10 and 11, with the parade starting at 11 on Sunday. A list of some other Pride events around the area throughout the month can be found on their website.
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