Paramore shared a message Tuesday for a community still reeling from the desecration of one of its safe spaces.
“When someone says to not politicize moments like the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs… The hatred and the prejudice against any marginalized group is historically political,” read a statement on the band’s social media. “And did you think that these prejudices stop at the polls?
“The s**t that we take to our respective soapboxes echoes on forever. You’re either perpetuating love or perpetuating hatred. Anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric is hatred, be it in policy or a locker room conversation.”
A gunman opened fire inside the LGBTQ nightclub this past weekend, killing five people and leaving more than a dozen others injured.
“Politicians and other powerful people have a choice. Just like walking in to a nightclub full of human beings and taking their lives was a choice in favour of hatred,” read Paramore’s statement. “If you spew hate and it echoes, expect an infinite amount of potential outcomes. Including people coming to the conclusion that maybe it’s time to start holding people accountable for the way they use their power to divide and normalize hatred.”
The statement concluded with: “Our hearts go out to the entire community in Colorado Springs. The LGBTQIA+ community and the families and friends who lost precious people who are more than just a statistic or headline.”
MORE: Music Stars React To Mass Shooting At Colorado LGBTQ Club
Following the mass shooting, a number of music stars shared reactions on social media, including Sam Smith, Kacey Musgraves and Maren Morris.
Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds tweeted that he was “thinking about all the senseless gun violence that continues to plague our country. hoping politicians will actually work to make real change in America. thinking about our LGBTQ youth that already feel unsafe.”
He added: “another sad day. how many more? may we continue to push for change.”
Last month, Paramore responded publicly to reports that several fans were accosted by a man during the band's concert in Utah. It said in a statement that the band does not condone “violence, homophobia, or bigotry of any kind. It is supremely unwelcome in our community and has no place at our shows.
"To make things as clear as possible: Paramore shows are meant to be a safe place for people. If you can’t respect that, do not come.”
— paramore (@paramore) November 22, 2022