Brandon Wolf returns to Equality Florida as Senior Comms Director

Nearly a decade after surviving the Pulse nightclub shooting, Brandon Wolf is returning to Equality Florida as Senior Director of Communications Strategy.

Wolf, who first rose to prominence as an advocate following the 2016 massacre in Orlando, framed Florida as an early testing ground for policies and political fights that have since spread nationally.

“For years, Floridians warned of the coming storm. 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,” Wolf said.

“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.”

Since Pulse, Wolf has become one of the country’s most recognizable LGBTQ and gun violence prevention advocates. He co-founded The Dru Project, testified before Congress as the first Pulse survivor to do so and has frequently appeared as a national commentator on LGBTQ rights and political extremism.

Wolf previously worked as the Press Secretary for Equality Florida, the state’s leading LGBTQ advocacy group, until he left in 2023 to become the national Press Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign.

Equality Florida CEO Stratton Pollitzer said Wolf returns at a pivotal moment for both the organization and the broader political climate.

“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,” Pollitzer said. “But what they underestimated is the resilience, creativity, and determination of the people fighting back.”

The organization said Wolf will help lead messaging strategy while serving as a state and national spokesperson. Wolf also pushed back on the idea that Florida’s shift over the past several election cycles is irreversible.

“I hear the whispers: ‘is Florida beyond repair? Is there still hope?’” he 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.”

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Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics contributed to this report.