Capital Pride, a nonprofit organization located in Washington, D.C. that produces a Trans Pride and Pride Celebration in the nation’s capital each year, named Central Florida activist Brandon Wolf among its list of grand marshals for this year’s Pride parade.
Wolf is currently the media relations manager for Equality Florida and is a co-founder of The Dru Project, a nonprofit LGBTQ advocacy organization dedicated to promoting Gay Straight Alliances (GSAs) nationwide by providing curricula and scholarships to LGBTQ youth.
The Dru Project was founded in 2016 in the memory of Drew Leinonen, a close friend to Wolf and one of the 49 victims of the Pulse tragedy. Wolf was named one of Watermark’s 2016 Most Remarkable People in part for launching The Dru Project.
“Joining Capital Pride as the Grand Marshal is an incredibly humbling honor. The origins of Pride are rooted in activism, advocacy and a stubborn, relentless fight for our rights. As inclusion and equality come under attack from those in power, I am proud to see our community tapping into our activist roots. May we honor the victims of Stonewall and Pulse with action,” Wolf said in a statement released through Equality Florida.
Wolf will be joined as grand marshal by two actors from the hit TV series “Pose.” Trans actress Dominique Jackson, who plays Elektra Abundance, and actress Hailie Sahar, who stars as Lulu Abundance.
Also named were Matt Easton, a 2019 graduate and political science valedictorian of Brigham Young University who drew national attention when he came out as gay during his valedictorian speech, and longtime transgender advocate Earline Bud. Bud serves as executive director of Empowering the Transgender Community, a new nonprofit group providing services to the D.C.-area trans community.
The Capital Pride parade will be held on June 8. The parade will travel a 1.5 mile route through the nation’s capital and contain more than 200 LGBTQ and allied organizations.
