Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Paramore Shuts Down Demand To 'Not Politicize' Club Q Shooting With Powerful Statement

Hayley Williams; memorial for the victims of the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Micharl Hickey/Film Magic/Getty Images; Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post/Getty Images

The rock band said hatred toward any marginalized group is 'historically political' in a statement on Twitter.

The alternative rock band Paramore shut down demands to "not policitize" the recent mass shooting at Club Q—a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado—stressing in an open letter posted to Twitter that "hatred and prejudice against any marginalized group is historically political."

Paramore went further, noting politicians and others in power "have a choice" to act just as those who perpetrate mass shootings have made "a choice in favor of hatred."


The band is known for making strong political statements.

Eearlier this month, lead singer Hayley Williams criticized Florida's "Don't Say Gay Law" during a concert by inserting the word "gay" into every song. Their latest statement was also a further indication of the frustration Americans feel about the nation's feckless approach to gun violence.

You can read the complete letter below.

The letter reads:

“When someone says not to politicize moments like the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs…"
"The hatred and the prejudice against any marginalized group is historically political. And did you think that these prejudices stop at the polls? It is a ‘chicken-or-the-egg’ type scenario."
"The sh*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."
"Politicians and other powerful people have a choice. Just like walking into a nightclub full of human beings and taking their life was a choice in favor of hatred."
"If you spew hatred 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."
"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 a headline.”

Five people died during the attack on Club Q and at least 25 others were injured, most of them by gunfire.

The alleged shooter was charged with ten felony counts—five counts of murder and five counts of committing a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury.

News outlets reported shortly after the shooting he is the grandson of outgoing California Republican State Assemblymember Randy Voepel, the former mayor of Santee, California who once compared the January 6 insurrection to the Revolutionary War.

This information has only amplified concerns about far-right radicalization and how being raised in an environment where hate and political violence are tolerated or even encouraged can lead people to commit horrific acts like mass murder.

Many praised the band for speaking out against anti-LGBTQ+ hatred.



Paramore's statement comes as many on the left continue to excoriate conservative politicians and media for fostering an environment that has made attacks against the LGBTQ+ community more commonplace.

Last week, Jamiee Michell—the founder of the anti-trans group Gays Against Groomers which claims to be "a coalition of gays against the sexualization, indoctrination and medicalization of children"—was harshly condemned after she claimed gender-affirming medical care is to blame for the shooting at Club Q.

Michell then absolved the alleged shooter, saying the LGBTQ+ community will continue to be the target of similar attacks so long as the “evil agenda” of gender-affirming care is allowed to continue.

More from News/lgbtq

Screenshot of Michael Waltz
Fox News

Trump Official Dragged After Suggesting 'Atlantic' Editor 'Hacked' Into Signal Group Chat

Speaking to Fox News personality Laura Ingraham, national security adviser Michael Waltz suggested that Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg hacked his phone to gain access to a Signal chat with high-level Trump administration officials, particularly Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, discussing military strategy surrounding war strikes in Yemen.

Waltz made this claim even though he had previously acknowledged setting up the Signal group in question, while President Donald Trump suggested that it was one of Waltz’s associates who added Goldberg.

Keep ReadingShow less
Denzel Washington
Ivan Romano/Getty Images

Denzel Washington Sparks Debate After Pushing Back On Being Called A 'Hollywood Actor'

If you ever get a chance to talk to Denzel Washington about his acting craft, be careful how you address him.

Big-time actors Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal are currently starring in a Broadway rendition of Othello, which is the first Shakespeare play to be produced on Broadway in more than 40 years, alongside other big actors and producers traditionally found in Hollywood-based productions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pedro Pascal
Jimmy Kimmel Live/YouTube

Pedro Pascal Left Red-Faced After Photo Reveals His Bonkers Morning Coffee Order

There are some things that should be between you and the person you worked with to get it: your medical prescriptions, the number of packages you receive from online shopping, and your coffee order.

Actor Pedro Pascal was recently being interviewed on Jimmy Kimmel Live when the host brought up how a paparazzi had accidentally revealed Pascal's coffee order in an image from last year.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gwyneth Paltrow; Meghan Markle
Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images; Samir Hussein/WireImage

Gwyneth Paltrow And Meghan Markle Epically Shut Down Rumors That They're Feuding

The newest Hollywood feud is the one in which actor Gwyneth Paltrow and Meghan Markle are at each other's throats after Paltrow mocked Markle's new Netflix show.

The only problem—it apparently never happened.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump
Newsmax

Trump Slammed After Touting Plan To Financially Compensate Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioters

President Donald Trump is facing criticism after suggesting the creation of a "compensation fund" for individuals who were pardoned after participating in the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

In one of his first official actions upon returning to office, Trump granted sweeping clemency to nearly 1,600 people charged in connection with the riot. He issued pardons to most defendants and commuted the sentences of 14 members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers militia, many of whom had been convicted of seditious conspiracy.

Keep ReadingShow less