On Jan. 21, the clothing company Patagonia filed a trademark lawsuit against drag performer and eco-activist Pattie Gonia. The company claimed Gonia’s use of their name and logo in her merchandise violated an agreement. On May 27, shocked by the company’s efforts to destroy her, she asked for support from her followers and fans to help sway Patagonia to drop the lawsuit.
Known out of drag as Wyn Wiley, 33, Gonia is an LGBTQ+ and climate activist who has performed and hosted events in Asheville in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene; and Raleigh.
With a platform of three million followers, Gonia educates her audience about humanity’s impact on the planet. Instead of pointing out the bad, Pattie Gonia promotes non-profits and good news associated with the environment. She is a co-founder of Outdoorist Oath – a non-profit that pushes for queer and BIPOC inclusivity in the outdoors through community and education. She also founded the Queer Outdoor and Environmental Job Board (QOEJB). Pattie Gonia’s advocacy work has reportedly raised over $4.7 million for LGBTQ+, BIPOC and environmental non-profits.
Though Patagonia and Pattie Gonia have the same values, they can’t seem to agree.
The clothing company explains, “For more than three years, Patagonia engaged in open dialogue with Pattie Gonia to discuss ways she could continue her environmental and social advocacy, brand deals and other work without infringing on our trademarks. We thought we’d reached an agreement and, for a while, it worked.”
The company filed a $1 lawsuit for damages, a court order that blocked the queen from selling merchandise that infringed on the trademark and from creating her own federal “Pattie Gonia” trademark. The lawsuit further attempts to decrease the competition and confusion between the two brands by stating: “the PATTIE GONIA brand inevitably implies to consumers that Patagonia has endorsed or authorized … these products and services.”
Gonia said she never had a conversation with the company and that the lawsuit “cherry picks a few examples of playful parody and fan art.” Both entities said the court was the last place they wanted to visit, but they had no choice. Gonia says the company is actually asking for $1 million in fees and to obtain rights to the “Pattie Gonia” brand.
In her response video, Pattie Gonia reassures her audience that she is fighting for herself and her community. The drag queen points out in both the video and the appeal letter that Patagonia’s actions oppose its founders’ mission and create confusion among the company’s consumers.
“If this lawsuit is what saving the planet looks like to Patagonia’s current leadership, then one of us has profoundly misunderstood the assignment. And it is not me. If Patagonia wants to celebrate Pride Month this year by taking a queer climate activist to federal court, then I’m here to fight for myself, and I am here to fight for us.”
