DENVER — For the past week, Natalee Skye Bingham has been grieving and working through the death of her friend Kelly Loving, who was killed at Club Q the night of Nov. 19.
Bingham and Loving had been friends for about seven years. The two met at a nightclub in Florida, and Bingham turned to Loving for guidance during her transition.
"Kelly is my trans mother. I met her in South Florida at a transgender club when I was 18 years old," Bingham said. "She brought me a lot of hope and a lot of confidence in who I am. She also taught me how to be the woman that I am today."
The two remained close friends throughout the years. Just last month, Loving moved to Colorado and the two began seeing each other more often.
During one of their hangouts, the two decided to go to In-N-Out Burger. They then returned to Bingham's home, which she has been decorating and remodeling after purchasing it a couple of years ago. That's when Loving suggested they paint the lanai, or sunroom, yellow.
"At first, I looked at her like, 'Yellow? Like mustard? Why yellow, Kelly?' She said that 'it would brighten up your lanai given all the plants that you have,'" said Bingham, who initially brushed off the suggestion.
Once Bingham learned that Loving was one of the five who were killed at Club Q, she was inspired to paint the room the color Loving suggested. On Sunday, Bingham was able to complete the project in a few hours.
Once the paint was on the walls, Bingham understood why Loving suggested it.
"I can see her vision that she was going with this. I’m honestly so surprised that it’s turning out as good as she was thinking," Bingham said as she worked to complete the project. "I had the doubt in her, but I’m so mindblown right now that this is turning out better than I expected."
Loving would often paint her nails yellow, and those close to her say it was her favorite color.
"I will always remember her, and she will never be forgotten in my home, and it will also inspire me to keep fighting for her until the justice is served for Kelly," Bingham said. "It’s like Kelly will honestly live in my home on my lanai forever, and that’s something no one can ever take away from me."
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