Pattie Gonia
Drag queen, environmental and LGBTQ+ activist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wyn Wiley (born July 21, 1992),[1] known professionally as Pattie Gonia, is an American drag queen, environmental and LGBTQ+ activist, and community organizer.
July 21, 1992
Pattie Gonia | |
|---|---|
Pattie Gonia in an advertisement for Ikon Pass in 2023 | |
| Born | Wyn Wiley July 21, 1992 Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Occupations | |
| Known for | Drag queen, environmental and LGBTQIA+ activist |
Early life and education
Wiley is from Lincoln, Nebraska.[2][3]
Wiley graduated from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with a degree in advertising and public relations in 2014.[4] They[a] have worked as a creative director and professional photographer.[5][6][3]
Activism and career
Wiley's first experiment with drag was in early 2018, as the character "Ginger Snap".[7][2] In October 2018, Wiley created the character Pattie Gonia, producing short-form outdoors activism content on Instagram and TikTok, while in drag.[1][8] The first video as Pattie Gonia, posted on October 3, gained more than 100 million views.[6][9] News outlets have described the name Pattie Gonia as a pun on the outdoor apparel brand Patagonia, Inc.[1][5] Pattie Gonia's activism focuses on environmental and LGBTQ+ issues, promoting acceptance of queer identities in the environmentalist and outdoors communities, and promoting awareness of climate change and its effects.[3][1] Euronews described this form of activism as "intersectional environmentalism".[10]
In addition to online content, Pattie Gonia organizes in-person hikes and events for LGBTQ and environmental causes.[11][12] They also developed a job board for queer folks seeking jobs and for companies to share job postings.[8]
In January 2022, Wiley co-founded "The Outdoorist Oath", a nonprofit working on diversity, equity, and inclusion and environmental causes in the outdoors community.[13][14][15] Pattie Gonia partnered with The North Face for their 2022 "Summer of Pride" series.[16][3] The series comprised four outdoor community-building events focused on local LGBTQ+ engagement and acceptance.[17][18]
Pattie Gonia is a firm supporter of Palestinian Nationalism and has spoken up against the Israeli government throughout the Gaza War. They attended the 2024 Glaad Awards holding a sign reading "End Genocide End Ecocide" as a reference to the war in Gaza and worldwide ecocide.[19]
In 2024, Pattie Gonia hosted an environmental drag show titled "Anti-Plastic Fantastic", advocating against single-use plastics and the waste of not reusing clothing.[20] In 2025, they gave a TedTalk about the role of joy in the fight against climate change and supporting queer rights.[21]
Awards and recognition
In 2020, Pattie Gonia was named to the Out100, Out magazine's annual list of the "most impactful and influential LGBTQ+ people."[6][22] They were also nominated for the Shorty Awards in the LGBTQ+ category.[23] In 2023, Time magazine included Pattie Gonia in their list of Next Generation Leaders.[24] In 2024, Pattie Gonia was named a National Geographic Traveler of the Year.[25]
Media coverage
In December 2018, Wiley was interviewed by REI, an outdoor clothing company, alongside the release of their first music video as Pattie Gonia.[26][27] In November 2019, they were the subject of a REI documentary titled "Dear Mother Nature".[28][23][29] It was accompanied by a shorter, 3-minute spoken word poem video titled "Everything to Lose".[30][31] Pattie Gonia later produced a video with BBC News about the activist's work in March 2020.[32]
Pattie Gonia attracted media attention for attending the January 2019 Outdoor Retailer trade show in all-white drag.[2][33]
In October 2022, Pattie Gonia was the subject of media coverage for their Halloween costume, where they dressed as climate change.[34] They have previously designed other outfits in support of climate causes and awareness, such as a dress and wigs made of recycled trash, for their TikTok and Instagram content.[35][11][36]
In 2023, Pattie Gonia released "Won't Give Up"[37] with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and Indigenous trans musician Quinn Christopherson.[24] The music video was filmed in Kenai Fjords National Park as a tribute to Exit Glacier, a melting glacier in Alaska which was once a hundred feet tall.[37]
In 2024, an image of Pattie Gonia standing with Kamala Harris at a pride event in 2022 was used in an advertisement for the Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign. The commercial used transgender people to attack Harris, stating that "Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you." The ad criticized Harris's statements that all people should be allowed gender-affirming healthcare, including inmates. Pattie Gonia responded to the ad on social media, noting that the Trump campaign did not have permission to use the image and directing followers to a fundraiser for two LGBTQ advocacy groups.[38]
Also in 2024, Pattie toured with her show SAVE HER!, an environmental drag show. The show visited a number of cities across the U.S.[20]
Patagonia trademark lawsuit
On January 21, 2026, the outdoor apparel company Patagonia, Inc. filed a lawsuit against Wiley and his company, Entrepreneur Enterprises Inc., doing business as Pattie Gonia Productions, alleging trademark infringement and dilution.[39][40]
Wiley noted that the Patagonia region of South America predates both the performer and the company[41][42] and characterized the suit as an attempt to "erase an activist".[43][42] A scheduling conference in the case was set for June 8, 2026.[44]