The Q Narrative

Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 1 John 3:13

The following is a commentary that I submitted to our local paper, The Gazette Telegraph. The context for my commentary was the mass shooting that occurred on November 19, 2022 at Club Q in Colorado Springs and the immediate narrative that became prominent in the newspapers, local and national. Five people were killed and 19 were injured by the shooting. I am posting my commentary here because it is important for us to understand what the Q Narrative (as I call it) means to us and our culture. It is also important for you to understand that this narrative has already been entrenched within our society and possibly within your neighbor’s heart and mind.

This was made evident to me when we heard from an individual who had been convicted by the Lord regarding engaging with his neighbors. He did a kind act for a lesbian couple that lived next door for which there had been no words spoken between them for 12 years. He texted her what he had done to let her know and that he just wanted to be a good neighbor. Her immediate text back was gracious about his act but then continued, beginning with: “I know you hate us.” This is the Q Narrative. However, and this is critical for us to understand, prayer and building a significant relationship with those who hold that narrative can break through it.

Here is the commentary:

Call for Respect in Colorado Springs

The murder of five people at Club Q was a violent tragedy that swept into our community. We hold life to be sacred and each human life made in the image of God. It is right for our community to weep along with the broken-hearted parents and friends and fight to make it an anomaly. But there is another tragedy that now looms before us, and we must be mature enough to overcome it. An accusatory narrative immediately arose that the shooting was the result of the hatred found on the “other side.” The Gazette carried a long article dedicated to this “Rift,” as it was called. The rift is over the difference of opinion regarding human sexuality.  One side believes in the traditional view; the other doesn’t. We will label these as “T” and “Q” just to make things easier.

The Q narrative that immediately arose and was then repeated in daily Gazette and national articles, was that this violence stemmed from T hatred. Even after the shooter was found to identify as non-binary and used “they/them” pronouns, someone clearly not on the T side, this narrative persisted. The essence of this narrative was articulated in the “Rift” article where it was made clear that anyone who doesn't agree with the Q beliefs is perceived to be a purveyor of hate. Or, as the UCCS (University of Colorado at Colorado Springs) professor interviewed stated: “…if it’s not hate, it certainly comes across as animosity…” which is just a close cousin of hatred. So, you don’t have to say hateful things or even do hateful things. Just holding the T belief makes you a person of hate or animosity.

Let’s contemplate what this means. If another professor at UCCS holds the T belief, are they then a hater? If so, would UCCS reconsider their employment? Or put them under “watch”? Warn students and faculty?

The most chilling part, however, came when the mayor and the city council draped City Hall with the 25-foot pride flag, known as the “Sacred Cloth” in the Q community. This was perceived by many as a tacit implication that the Springs government also embraces the Q narrative. What, then, are the implications for this city and its workers? If a policeman or firefighter or city clerk holds the T belief, are they, too, considered a hater? Will they be told to keep their mouth shut or be fired?

I hold to the traditional, biblical view. I believe our Creator made us and that sexuality has been created by God. It is obvious in all of animal life. We go to the zoo and see male and female animals and even hope for a baby lion cub from the male and female lions. I have a book that helps me identify birds based upon whether they are male or female. For the entirety of human existence, this has been the fundamental, natural way we have looked at human sexuality. Why am I called a hater because I hold this belief?

A friend of mine was denied service at a Virginia restaurant not long ago. Why? Because she is a T. She is not a hater; I can vouch for that. And I know Jim Daly from Focus on the Family. Jim is not a hater. I also know many of those who work there. They are loving people. But the Q narrative paints them all as haters and stirs up violence as witnessed when the Focus building was defaced, just after the shooting, with “their blood is on your hands.”

The unfortunate reality is that there are now many, many good T people who are increasingly afraid to express their beliefs because of the repercussions they would face. This is the chill that has descended upon us.

We are better than this, dear community. We should be able to respect each other’s beliefs. We cannot be pulled into an immature attitude that we find in teens who believe their parents “hate” them because they won’t let them get their own way. Let’s return to a civil discussion here before the Rift either tears us apart or we descend into some form of a despotic culture.

As for me, I cannot, nor will not, bow down to the Sacred Cloth. But I will most certainly treat those who do so with respect. Can’t this respect go both ways? For our community’s sake, I certainly hope so.

Dear Remnant, wisdom calls us to understand the times in which we live. This narrative has become ubiquitous, and we are, therefore, considered "haters" because we hold to a biblical worldview on human sexuality. The only way we are going to break through that perception is to be in deep prayer for our neighbor and to build a significant relationship with them, motivated only by the command of our Lord to love them. In the meantime, do not be filled with dread or let your hearts melt by what is happening around us. This is confirmed to us by our passage: "Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you." John continues by stating, "Whoever does not love abides in death." These are strong words for us today. Let us walk rightly and not be pulled into the hatred of the world, the flesh and the devil.

Soli Deo Gloria!