The space, they said, was theirs for the night.
It was for the young. The gay. The lesbians. The transgender. And those who are Latino, Vietnamese, American Indian, African-American and other brown shades of skin.
It was a place to grieve over the violence at a gay Orlando nightclub without politicians, police or traditional white-led organizations for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
About 100 young people of all shapes, sizes and shades gathered in west Denver on Wednesday night — at an event that included many cultures and traditions — to honor the 49 people killed in Florida.
“We really saw a lack of space for queer young people of color in the wake of the shooting,” said Diane Amaya, one of the leaders at the event.
The evening began as the sun set with an American Indian song in front of a traditional Mexican alter that featured candles and pictures of those killed inside the bar early hours Sunday. Then the group marched along Tejon Street to 38th Avenue, with people carrying signs that read “No Islamaphobia in my name” and “My grief is not a call for policing.”
At the park, people spoke about their grief and what it means to feel marginalized, not only by one’s skin color but also by one’s sexual preference. Two young transgender people — one of Mexican descent and one of Vietnamese heritage — recited a poem about trying to explain their feelings to their parents and grandparents.
The evening ended with a meal to break the Ramadan fast. The group refused to allow Muslims to be marginalized even though the killer has been identified as a follower of Islam.
“We know Islamophobia and homophobia as the same monster known by different names,” the organizers said in a news release about the event.
Mimi Madrid Puga, who leads the Survivors Organizing for Liberation group, and a friend went to a memorial at Tracks nightclub Sunday night in downtown Denver, and they were overwhelmed by the police presence and turned away. That’s where the idea for Wednesday night’s gathering was born, Puga said.
Kareena Romero, 25, of Thornton saw the event as an opportunity to heal.
“A lot of different vigils happened around town,” Romero said. “This one was for people of color whose experience with violence has been different than white people in the queer community.”
Romero had been to a gay club for a Latin dance night in Colorado less than 24 hours before the Orlando shooting.
“It was easy to see their faces and imagine it being mine,” Romero said.
