The GLO Center, an LGBTQ+ community center in Springfield, Missouri, closed for the day Monday after receiving a threat of violence, but it will go on with a Pride event Saturday as planned.
Executive Director Aaron Schekorra found two bullets on the ground when he opened the center Monday. “Scratched on them — there’s a word on each of them. One of them says in all caps, ‘DIE,’ and the other one says a slur for queer people, and it starts with an f, that I’d rather not repeat on the radio,” he told public radio station KCUR.
“We realized that these were left — they were left intentionally in front of our building using language that’s meant to attack our community,” he said.
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The center shut down for the day, but its board and staff decided Tuesday evening to go ahead with Pride on C-Street, a festival on Commercial Street, a main thoroughfare in the city, the Springfield News-Leader reports.
“Fear wants to isolate us. Pride brings us back together,” said a statement posted on the center’s social media pages. “We refuse to let intimidation decide how we gather, care, or celebrate.”
The center planned Pride on C-Street “after the record-breaking success of Ozarks Pridefest this summer,” the News-Leader reports.
Pride on C-Street will be a “block-party-meets-street-fair that celebrates the history, heart, and future of our community,” the GLO Center’s website for the event says. There will be vendor booths, food and drink, and entertainment by several performers. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Security will be tight, and the center has posted safety tips for attendees.
Police are investigating the Monday incident, but no arrests have been made.
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Schekorra has received threats against himself, but when there’s a threat against the GLO Center, “it is also kind of a threat against our community and our identities,” he told KCUR.
“So it’s important that we let folks know so they can make the best decision for themselves … at the end of the day, you have to do what’s best for our community,” he added.
This article originally appeared on Advocate: Missouri LGBTQ+ center receives threat but will carry on with Pride event
