On Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, Pulse shooting survivor Brandon Wolf spoke to the House Oversight and Reform Committee during a special hearing about anti-LGBTQ+ violence and extremism. The Pulse massacre occurred in 2016 at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, but the impetus of this particular meeting was actually a different shooting at a different LGBTQ+ club in Colorado. In November, five people were killed and at least 25 more folks were injured when suspected shooter Anderson Lee Aldrich allegedly attacked Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Wolf, who previously spoke before Congress back in 2019, did not hold back in his address, and for good reason. Republicans have made it a fundamental campaign issue to rally against LGBTQ+ folks, especially trans youth and trans adults. We’ve seen a disturbing number of bills seeking to ban gender-affirming health care for trans folks of all ages, in addition to efforts to bar trans girls and women from participating in girls' sports. Anti-trans bathroom bills are also having a sick renaissance.
Oh, and we can’t forget the proliferation of Don’t Say Gay bills, thanks to the likes of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Wolf, who currently serves as the Press Secretary for Equality Florida, calls out DeSantis—and his “insatiable political ambition”—in the best way. Wolf’s full address is about five minutes and well worth a close listen, especially the part that isn’t going viral on social media (yet).
Be warned, his recollection of surviving the Pulse massacre is detailed and difficult to listen to, but if you’re able to stand it, it’s incredibly important.
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“Being LGBTQ in America in 2022 means looking over your shoulder before you hold hands with someone you love,” Wolf begins in his address. “It means watching your very humanity be litigated day in and day out on every cable news network and across every social media platform. It means wondering if today is the day when hate comes a fist or worse: An AR-15.”
Here is the full clip.
YouTube Video
And here is the clip that’s going viral on Twitter.
“For years,” Wolf begins in the clip above. “Cynical politicians and greedy grifters have joined forces with right-wing extremists to pour gasoline on anti-LGBTQ hysteria and terrorize our community. My own governor, Ron DeSantis, has trafficked in that bigotry to feed his insatiable political ambition and propel himself toward the White House.”
"We have been smeared and defamed. Hundreds of bills have been filed in order to erase us,” Wolf continued. “Powerful figures have insisted that the greatest threats this country faces are a teacher with they/them pronouns or someone in a wig reading Red Fish, Blue Fish.”
"All along,” Wolf added, “We warned all of these short-sighted political maneuvers will come with a human cost but they've continued anyway.
For the curious, here’s Wolf’s first address to Congress back in 2019.
Wolf, who previously spoke before Congress back in 2019, did not hold back in his address, and for good reason. Republicans have made it a fundamental campaign issue to rally against LGBTQ+ folks, especially trans youth and trans adults. We’ve seen a disturbing number of bills seeking to ban gender-affirming health care for trans folks of all ages, in addition to efforts to bar trans girls and women from participating in girls' sports. Anti-trans bathroom bills are also having a sick renaissance.
Oh, and we can’t forget the proliferation of Don’t Say Gay bills, thanks to the likes of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Wolf, who currently serves as the Press Secretary for Equality Florida, calls out DeSantis—and his “insatiable political ambition”—in the best way. Wolf’s full address is about five minutes and well worth a close listen, especially the part that isn’t going viral on social media (yet).
Be warned, his recollection of surviving the Pulse massacre is detailed and difficult to listen to, but if you’re able to stand it, it’s incredibly important.
RELATED: What is the debt ceiling? An economic trap Republicans are likely to set in January
“Being LGBTQ in America in 2022 means looking over your shoulder before you hold hands with someone you love,” Wolf begins in his address. “It means watching your very humanity be litigated day in and day out on every cable news network and across every social media platform. It means wondering if today is the day when hate comes a fist or worse: An AR-15.”
Here is the full clip.
YouTube Video
And here is the clip that’s going viral on Twitter.
“For years,” Wolf begins in the clip above. “Cynical politicians and greedy grifters have joined forces with right-wing extremists to pour gasoline on anti-LGBTQ hysteria and terrorize our community. My own governor, Ron DeSantis, has trafficked in that bigotry to feed his insatiable political ambition and propel himself toward the White House.”
"We have been smeared and defamed. Hundreds of bills have been filed in order to erase us,” Wolf continued. “Powerful figures have insisted that the greatest threats this country faces are a teacher with they/them pronouns or someone in a wig reading Red Fish, Blue Fish.”
"All along,” Wolf added, “We warned all of these short-sighted political maneuvers will come with a human cost but they've continued anyway.
For the curious, here’s Wolf’s first address to Congress back in 2019.