Lauren Boebert's LGBTQ Comments Under the Spotlight After Shooting

On Saturday night, five people were killed, and another 17 injured, after a gunman opened fire at the Club Q LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs.

The attacker was overpowered by Richard Fierro, a U.S. Army veteran who was in the club, with the assistance of a drag performer.

Anderson Lee Aldrich, aged 22, is suspected of carrying out the attack and remains under police custody in hospital.

Court documents reveal he is facing hate crime charges, along with those for murder.

Lauren Boebert, the Trump-supporting GOP House representative for Colorado's third congressional district, condemned the attack on Twitter.

She said: "The news out of Colorado Springs is absolutely awful.

"This morning the victims & their families are in my prayers. This lawless violence needs to end, and end quickly."

However, Boebert was criticized for comments she had made in the past about the LGBTQ community, along with her attitude to firearms.

Boebert's Past LGBTQ Comments

On May 31, Boebert claimed children at a North Carolina school were being taught colors from an "LGBT flag flashcards with a pregnant man," adding: "We went from Reading Rainbow to Randy Rainbow in a few decades, but don't dare say the Left is grooming our kids!"

On June 6 she said: "Take your children to CHURCH, not drag bars."

Boebert has focused heavily on the grooming narrative, a right-wing conspiracy theory implying widespread child abuse within the LGBTQ community, over the past few months.

After a major report found she had the third most influential Twitter account spreading the "groomer narrative," she vowed to double down. The outspoken Republican tweeted: "My tweets about groomers are only third? Guess that means I have to tweet about these sick, demented groomers even more."

On August 18, Boebert tweeted a photograph showing an advert for a "Drag Queen Story Hour," hosted in a public library.

She added: "Sending a message to all the drag queens out there: stay away from the children in Colorado's Third District!"

Later that same month she tweeted: "A 'kid-friendly' drag show in Texas was guarded by masked ANTIFA guards armed with AR-15s.

"Remember, they only want YOUR guns. They want to use theirs to protect their depravity."

Reaction to Boebert After Shooting

Speaking to Newsweek, Cathy Renna, from the National LGBTQ Task Force, claimed "hate speech" and "anti-LGBTQ legislation" fosters and "even encourages" violence against the community.

Addressing Boebert specifically she added: "The hypocrisy of someone like Lauren Boebert is disturbing, but not surprising. She has been one of the main proponents of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, and the extraordinary hypocrisy of what she tweeted was not lost on anyone."

Sarah Kate Ellis, President of LGBTQ campaign group GLAAD, told Newsweek there is a "direct line from anti-LGBTQ rhetoric to anti-LGBTQ violence."

She continued: "Right-wing politicians like Rep. Boebert push vile, baseless lies about our community, which spread like wildfire and go unchecked on social media and right-wing media.

"Boebert's vile anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and her glorification of guns and violence is a toxic combination. Researchers who study extremism say it's like a hot pan on a burner with popcorn kernels ready to pop: anyone listening can be encouraged to pop.

"Rep. Boebert led on creating a culture of anti-LGBTQ hate in Colorado and beyond. The lies Boebert spews about LGBTQ people are absolutely despicable. Instead of offering her thoughts and prayers, how about Boebert instead stops her barrage of anti-LGBTQ hate and works to enact stronger gun safety reforms?"

Christopher Vasquez, Director of Communications at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, also told Newsweek there is a link between right-wing rhetoric aimed at the LGBTQ community and violence.

He commented: "It's impossible to separate the unprecedented rise in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric from certain members of the right—including the use of vile terms to falsely paint [the LGBTQ community as] 'dangerous' or 'sexual predators'—from the very real and equally unprecedented increase in violent attacks on members of our community.

"We have long known that words have consequences and when people in positions of power continue to unabashedly peddle in hate speech, those words will result in an increase in violence against our community, including spaces like Pulse and Club Q, which have long served as much-needed safe spaces for LGBTQ individuals."

Boebert was also criticized by Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who claimed she had "played a major role in elevating anti-LGBT+ hate rhetoric," whilst blocking "even the most common sense gun safety laws" in Congress.

Lauren Boebert has been contacted for comment.

Update 11/23/22 3:16 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional comment.