Returning to the Front Lines: Brandon Wolf Comes Home to Fight for Florida

Returning to the Front Lines: Brandon Wolf Comes Home to Fight for Florida

Pulse survivor, bestselling author, and national LGBTQ advocate returns to Equality Florida at a defining moment for the state and the country.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Nearly a decade after surviving the Pulse nightclub tragedy and dedicating his career to the fight for freedom and equality, Brandon Wolf is bringing his national advocacy work back home to Florida with a message for the country: we cannot give up on Florida.

Wolf rejoins Equality Florida as Senior Director of Communications Strategy, reuniting with the organization where his advocacy journey took flight.

As the nation finds itself locked in a battle against the same right wing assaults on freedom that were spawned in Florida in recent years, lessons of grassroots resistance in the ground zero state have become urgently relevant across the country. “For years, Floridians warned of the coming storm,” Wolf said.

“What is Project 2025 for much of the country was Project 2021 on the frontlines of Florida. Vulnerable communities, including children and families, have been targeted with lies and misinformation and the result has been devastating: the erosion of basic freedoms across the board with absolutely no concern for who gets hurt. Still, courageous Floridians refused to give up. It’s time for all of us to learn from the communities that have organized, endured, and fought back. Now is the time to take on the bullies at ground zero. Because Florida – and freedom – are always worth fighting for.”

Wolf’s return comes just weeks before the 10th remembrance of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy in Orlando, among the deadliest mass shootings in American history, a moment of renewed commitment to honoring the 49 lives stolen with action. In the years since the attack, he has turned unimaginable grief into action, co-founding The Dru Project to empower young leaders, testifying before Congress as the first Pulse survivor to do so, and becoming one of the nation’s most recognizable voices for LGBTQ equality and gun violence prevention.

For Equality Florida, Wolf’s return reflects both the urgency of the current political moment and the opportunity to share a blueprint with the country for building a future beyond the broken status quo. While Florida has been a testing ground for attacks on diversity, LGBTQ rights, racial justice, democracy, and much more, Equality Florida has also spent years building the programs and organizing models necessary to reshape a freer, more equal future – programs now being replicated in communities across the country. From safe and affirming schools initiatives and trauma-informed healthcare partnerships to Parenting with Pride programs supporting thousands of LGBTQ families, the organization’s work is an answer to what people across the country are craving: a vision of what is possible when equality wins.

“We are thrilled to have Brandon back with us on the front line right where Florida and the country need him most,” said Stratton Pollitzer, Equality Florida CEO and Executive Director. “The right wing understood long ago that state and local battles shape the future of the country, which is why they invested so heavily in places like Florida. But what they underestimated is the resilience, creativity, and determination of the people fighting back. Equality Florida is not simply defending against harm; we are building the future we deserve. Brandon brings the voice, experience, and moral clarity to tell that story at this critical moment.”

In his new role, Wolf will shape Equality Florida’s messaging strategy and serve as a key state and national spokesperson during this defining chapter for LGBTQ Floridians and for the broader fight over freedom, equality, and democracy.

“I hear the whispers: ‘is Florida beyond repair? Is there still hope?’” Wolf said. “There is no more powerful answer to those whispers than the contagious courage, resilient joy, and defiant resolve of Floridians fighting every day for a better future. In the aftermath of Pulse, I learned what it looks like when communities refuse to give up on one another, when communities choose love over hate. Equality Florida is building a future where every family is treated with dignity, every young person feels safe being themselves, and every person can live freely and openly without fear. That is the kind of future that strikes fear in the hearts of bullies – and can inspire a nation. That is the future we all deserve.”

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