10 Years Later, Community and National Advocacy Leaders Discuss How to Honor Pulse Victims Through Action

10 Years Later, Community and National Advocacy Leaders Discuss How to Honor Pulse Victims Through Action

Orlando, FL — Today, the Human Rights Campaign, Equality Florida, and GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention group founded by former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, convened a panel to honor the 10-year remembrance of the Pulse nightclub shooting, which killed 49 and injured 53 others.

The panel was moderated by Brandon Wolf, a Pulse survivor and chief spokesperson for Equality Florida, and focused on reflecting on progress the LGBTQ+ and gun safety movements have forged since Pulse and how we can take actions to build on that progress to honor Pulse victims in the decade ahead.

“Ten years ago, this hate-fueled attack robbed 49 people of their lives, and shattered the LGBTQ+ and the Latino community’s sense of safety. Pulse nightclub was supposed to be a safe haven for queer people to gather and celebrate Pride without having to check for the exits,” said Emma Brown, Executive Director at GIFFORDS. “Easy access to guns and hate is a deadly combination, and in the decade ahead, we will continue to honor those we lost at Pulse with action – by fighting hate, passing commonsense laws to keep guns out of dangerous hands, and building a safer country for queer kids to grow up in.”

WATCH: GIFFORDS’s Emma Brown on defending progress on gun safety in Florida amid the Attorney General’s move to roll back the state’s waiting period law and addressing the rise in hate crimes

“Ten years ago our community was forever shaken by the senseless act of gun violence at Pulse nightclub where we lost 49 beautiful souls. We continue to hold their loved ones and those who survived close in our hearts,” said Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign. “For so many community members, Pulse on Latin Night was not only a special space, but a safe one. Over the last 10 years there have been far too many horrific reminders that there is nowhere–not a place of worship, a school, or a community festival–that is safe from the scourge of gun violence. Far too often, guns are used in our country to inflict violence on people whose lives look different, whose ideas are different, or who love differently. Common sense gun reform is an LGBTQ+ issue, and just as we fight for health care access or non-discrimination laws, we also fight for our right and the right of our loved ones to live in safety. Today we rededicate ourselves to this work, to honoring them with action. We will see it through, no matter how long it takes.”

WATCH: HRC’s Kelley Robinson on what gives her hope for progress in the decade ahead.

“In the wake of Pulse, we witnessed the extraordinary spirit of Orlando Strong — people choosing love over hate, unity over fear, and action over despair," said Stratton Pollitzer, Executive Director of Equality Florida. "That spirit continues to guide us today as we face relentless attacks on our rights and freedoms. Since that tragedy rocked the globe, Florida has been both an epicenter of anti-LGBTQ attacks and the front line of the resistance against them. Time and again, our community has turned pain into purpose, mobilizing thousands to organize, advocate, and defend one another. This moment demands that courage, compassion, and solidarity. Our work is far from finished, and we remain committed to honoring the 49 not only with remembrance, but with action that builds a safer, more just future for every LGBTQ person.”

WATCH: Stratton Pollitzer: “When they come for us, we find each other” and how Hollow promises without action mean nothing.

"Ten years ago, Orlando’s 49 angels were taken in an act of hate and gun violence that forever changed our community,” said State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith. “This remembrance comes at a time when many LGBTQ Floridians feel increasingly targeted and unwelcome. It also comes as Florida has moved to weaken its gun laws in the years since Pulse, expanding access to firearms rather than strengthening safeguards to prevent future tragedies. The lessons of Pulse remain urgent. Hate has consequences, gun violence leaves lasting scars, and our responsibility to protect one another never ends. Yet the spirit of Orlando United endures. As a permanent memorial begins to take shape, we are reminded that love, solidarity, and community remain stronger than fear. The best way to honor the 49 is through action—showing up for one another and continuing the work of building a safer, more just, and more inclusive future."

WATCH: State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith on honoring Pulse victims through action following the 10-year remembrance, and how the Orlando community shows up for each other.

“It's hard to believe it's been ten years. Ten years of missing faces at birthday parties, empty seats at dinner tables, and voicemails never returned,” said Brandon Wolf, Pulse Nightclub Survivor and Chief Spokesperson for Equality Florida. “Six days after the shooting, at his funeral, I promised my best friend that I would never stop fighting for a world that he would be proud of. Since then, so much has changed. Our community has been under siege from a right wing hellbent on hoarding freedom for themselves, our rights have been rolled back, and the very spaces we set aside to reflect and remember have been desecrated. But one thing has not changed: the strength of our community to, in the face of hate, shine brighter and bolder than before. May the ten year remembrance be a moment to reflect, grieve, harden our resolve, and recommit to honoring the memories of those stolen from us not with hollow sympathies or empty words, but with action.”

WATCH: Pulse survivor and Equality Florida’s Brandon Wolf opening remarks.

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GIFFORDS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives from gun violence. Led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, GIFFORDS shifts culture, changes policies, and challenges injustice, inspiring Americans across the country to fight gun violence.

Equality Florida is Florida's statewide civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. Through lobbying, grassroots organizing, education, and coalition building, we are changing Florida so that no one suffers harassment or discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people, with 3.6 million members and supporters. The HRC Foundation (a 501(c)(3)) works to ensure LGBTQ+ people are safe, seen and supported where it matters most: at school, at work and in every community across the country. From the courtroom to the classroom, from Congress to corporate America, HRC and the HRC Foundation build power through partnerships, storytelling, and action—working to create a future rooted in equity, freedom and belonging for all LGBTQ+ people.