Human Rights Campaign’s Brandon Wolf on surviving Pulse to saving queer lives

On a warm summer Saturday night in June 2016, Brandon J. Wolf was crouching and hiding in the bathroom when a gunman entered the crowded Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Fla., and opened fire on nearly 320 patrons.

The tragic event — one of the deadliest mass shootings in the history of the United States to this day — claimed the lives of 49 people. Fortunately, Wolf survived the mass shooting, but his two best friends were not so lucky. Following the tragedy, Wolf struggled with survivor’s guilt and the grief of losing his closest friends.

“The LGBTQ+ community saved my life,” Wolf told Out, reminiscing about the dark time he endured after Pulse. “It was that community that reminded me that tomorrow was not just worth living for — it was worth fighting for too. It's been my chosen family. It's been my community that has lifted me up and given me the strength and courage to be myself.”

Since then, Wolf has become a fierce leading force in LGBTQ+ advocacy and gun control. But Wolf’s advocacy is not only rooted in Pulse, it is also shaped by his own coming-out journey growing up as a young gay boy of color in the conservative suburbs of Portland, Ore. Wolf recalled being a sophomore in high school when his home state had banned same-sex marriage by constitutional amendment in 2004. Wolf trembled as he recalled walking down the halls of his high school, when classmates were debating whether or not queer people “would ever have the right to love.”

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“I want to make sure that the next Brandon who's a sophomore in high school and watching anti-LGBTQ+ policies pass across the country that he knows he's valued exactly as he is,” Wolf gestured passionately. “I want him to know he has everything he needs in order to thrive and that there are people fighting for him every single day.”

In the fall of 2023, Wolf joined the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) — the country’s largest LGBTQ+ rights organization — as its National Press Secretary. In his role, Wolf fosters positive public perception for the queer community and drives conversations about LGBTQ+ rights across the U.S. Specifically, with HRC’s Safe and Welcoming Schools program, Wolf works directly with educators and institutions to build and sustain welcoming school environments to ensure LGBTQ+ youth feel valued and protected. In addition, through HRC’s Parents for Transgender Equality National Council, Wolf provides support for families of trans youth, cultivating a sense of belonging so they feel less isolated and more connected.

“It’s not just good work,” Wolf reflects in Out’s latest episode of “Coming Out, Me.” “It’s life-saving work. I’m excited because I know the future is bright. Pulse taught me that we can’t wait for change — we have to fight for it, and that fight never stops.”

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