Inside Out Youth Services to reopen after lengthy closure due to threats following Club Q shooting

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A Colorado Springs organization that works with LGBTQ+ youth in the area is reopening after it closed due to threats.

Inside Out Youth Services closed its building after receiving online threats following the November mass shooting at Club Q, an LGBTQ+ nightclub.

"Unfortunately the Club Q shooting did draw national attention and while we got so much incredible support, that also drew online hate groups to us and it definitely targeted us for a little bit but that’s died down," said Liss Smith, the communications and advocacy director at Inside Out.

Smith said they started looking at its security and called on help from experts who deal with hate groups.

"They’ve done security audits, they’ve given recommendations, and we’re working on cyber security. A lot of this has come from finding the right folks to kind of align with our mission and our values," said Smith.

Even though their building was closed, the work didn't stop. Inside out still held offsite programs, free therapy, and virtual gatherings.

"We were just authentic with our young people, with their families. We were like hey were scared too, we’re sad too, but we're all in this together and I think having that strength and resiliency as a community is I think what saved the LGBTQ community time and time again," said Smith.

Smith said there is no set date yet, but this month they'll start a phased approach to reopening.

"For a lot of these kids they don’t have the same support that their cisgender straight peers have at home or school, so this may be the only place that they can be authentically, fully themselves and that is literally life-saving," said Smith.

To learn more about Inside Out Youth Services, click here.