Pulse shooting survivor Brandon Wolf on losing his safe space and friend Drew: ‘To invade one of those spaces is to invade all of them’ (EXCLUSIVE)
In memory of Drew and in celebration of their work at the Dru Project, Wolf speaks about the loss to mark receiving the Inspiration Award at the Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards 2026, in partnership with M&S and electrified by Polestar
By Aaron Sugg
Pulse shooting survivor Brandon Wolf takes Attitude back to 12 June 2016, when 49 people were murdered at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, including his friend Drew Leinonen.
Losing Drew led Wolf and Sara Grossman to create the Dru Project, a non-profit organisation that works to spread love and support LGBTQ+ youth through scholarships, school grants and educational resources for LGBTQ+ student groups.
In memory of Drew, and in celebration of their work, the organisation has been awarded the Inspiration Award at the Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards 2026, in partnership with M&S and electrified by Polestar.
Brandon Wolf recalls the night of the Pulse nightclub shooting
Speaking to Attitude ahead of receiving the Inspiration Award, Wolf recalled the tragic night that would change the trajectory of his life forever.
“There was this energy in the air that could only be created in a queer safe space,” he remembers. “People felt so joyful.” It was, he says, “so Pulse” and “so Orlando”.
Then, just after 2am, with around 300 people inside the club, Omar Mateen opened fire. What began as a mass shooting became a hostage situation lasting around three hours. By the time it ended, 49 people had been murdered and dozens more wounded. Drew and his partner Juan Guerrero were among those killed.
Wolf says Pulse felt like a “place where you could be fully you”
For Brandon, he lost more than just a friend – he lost a home away from home. “It was a place where you could be fully you, where you could bring your best self, wear whatever you wanted to wear, be whoever you wanted to be,” he said. “And if just for a moment, you could feel safe doing all of those things because you were home.”
He said the effects of the shooting reached far wider than Orlando, highlighting the impact it had on LGBTQ+ communities and venues across the globe.
“We, as queer people, know what it feels like to carve out safety for ourselves,” he stated. “We know what it feels like to create a place like Pulse nightclub. And so to invade one of those spaces is to invade all of them.”
Since its founding, The Dru Project has awarded more than $250,000 (£189,000) in scholarships to LGBTQ+ youth, and has continued to honour Drew’s life throughout their work.
The full interview appears in the Attitude Awards 2026 issue, available on digital platforms and in print. Print copy available for pre-order here.