Drag Queen Activist Pattie Gonia Publicly Battles Patagonia Over Trademark Lawsuit, Calls It ‘Corporate Erasure’

Environmental activist and drag performer Pattie Gonia is calling on outdoor apparel giant Patagonia to drop its trademark infringement lawsuit, accusing the company of attempting to silence climate advocacy under the guise of protecting its brand.

The public dispute escalated last week when Wyn Wiley, who performs under the stage name Pattie Gonia, broke months of silence to address the January lawsuit on social media. The performer, who boasts over two million followers across TikTok and Instagram, accused the Ventura-based company of betraying its environmental mission.

“This is not a brand conflict, this is a corporation trying to erase an activist,” Pattie Gonia said in a May 27 Instagram post. “This is how corporations bully individuals who cannot match their resources.”

The Lawsuit

Patagonia filed the federal trademark lawsuit in January after Pattie Gonia applied for trademark rights to use the name for merchandise sales, activism promotion, and online marketing. While the company is seeking just $1 in damages, Pattie Gonia says legal fees could exceed $1 million.

In its complaint, Patagonia argued the trademark application “reflects Pattie Gonia’s departure from discrete use of a persona to engage in activism” and instead confirms “intent to launch a wide-ranging commercial enterprise under the PATTIE GONIA brand.”

The company also claims Wiley violated a previous agreement over use of the name and logo—an assertion the performer denies. “There was no agreement,” Pattie Gonia said. “In 2022, when I was collaborating with a third party, Patagonia asked me to follow certain terms, and I did. That wasn’t a broad agreement about my future.”

In a January statement, Patagonia said it must enforce its trademark consistently to protect against misuse by bad actors. “We cannot selectively choose to enforce our rights based on whether we agree with a particular point of view,” the company wrote. “Inconsistent enforcement might prevent us from stopping entities like the oil and gas lobby, counterfeiters, hate groups, or other bad actors from using the Patagonia name and logo.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Patagonia (@patagonia)

Open Letter to Leadership

On May 27, Pattie Gonia published an open letter addressed to Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert, the board of directors, and trustees of the Patagonia Purpose Trust, appealing to their stated environmental values.

“I’ve spent 8 years building something I am proud of: A community of more than 3 million people, a nonprofit, $3.7 million raised for environmental causes, and bringing hundreds of thousands of people into the outdoors who never felt like they belonged there,” the letter reads.

“But now, after 8 years, some executives at your company and your outside lawyers have decided that I must cease to exist.”

The letter references Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard’s own words: “You are what you do, not what you say you are.”

“This lawsuit serves no good purpose,” Pattie Gonia wrote. “Let’s make peace and get back to our common love of the planet.”

Settlement Talks Stall

Over the weekend, Pattie Gonia released a video offering to withdraw the trademark application if the company drops the lawsuit. In response, Patagonia posted a statement on social media May 31 outlining its conditions for resolution.

“We wish this lawsuit had not been necessary, and we want to acknowledge any hurt it has caused, especially in the LGBTQ+ community,” the company wrote. Patagonia said it would settle if Pattie Gonia withdraws all trademark applications, stops using the Patagonia logo, and stops selling and promoting apparel and other products as Pattie Gonia.”

Pattie Gonia swiftly rejected the terms on June 1, calling the third condition a dealbreaker.

“Patagonia is not just talking about my upcycled t-shirt merch in that bullet point,” the performer wrote. “They’re talking about the partnership work with other brands that I’ve done for years to pay for the education and advocacy and activism that me and my team do. If I can’t do partnerships as Pattie Gonia, it breaks the whole ecosystem of advocacy and community engagement.”

The activist noted the irony in Patagonia’s demands: “They understand this because their work is built on the exact same model—advocacy work funded through commercial work.”

Pattie Gonia agreed to the first two conditions but firmly rejected the third: “Absolutely not. No deal Patagonia.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Pattie Gonia (@pattiegonia)

Who Is Pattie Gonia?

Wiley created the Pattie Gonia persona in 2018, combining drag performance with outdoor advocacy. The character quickly went viral, building a community focused on environmental stewardship and LGBTQ+ inclusion in outdoor spaces.

Since then, Pattie Gonia has raised over $3.7 million for environmental and social justice nonprofits. 

“For four months since the lawsuit was filed, I have stayed silent and worked every channel I had to resolve this without going to court,” Pattie Gonia said. “But in the end, I had two choices. The erasure of my name, my advocacy, my community, and everyone I employ. Or fight for myself and fight for us.”

Neither party has indicated whether further negotiations are planned. The lawsuit remains pending in federal court.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Pattie Gonia (@pattiegonia)