{"id":245665,"date":"2026-05-27T22:11:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T22:11:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/245665\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T22:11:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T22:11:41","slug":"top-drag-queen-pattie-gonia-breaks-the-silence-on-patagonia-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/245665\/","title":{"rendered":"Top drag queen Pattie Gonia breaks the silence on Patagonia lawsuit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Climate activist and drag queen Pattie Gonia is speaking out against outdoor clothing and gear brand Patagonia for dragging the carabiner-earring-wearing man through the legal mud in an effort to take away his name.<\/a><\/p>\n

Pattie Gonia, whose real name is Wyn Wiley, says the adventure company<\/a> has no right to demand the drag queen\u2019s name because he named his drag persona after the South American region, not the company.<\/p>\n

\u201cPatagonia told the media they\u2019re only suing me for a $1, what they\u2019re actually trying to do is take away my name permanently, and threaten me with more than $1 million in legal fees.<\/p>\n

Drag queen Pattie Gonia says adventure company Patagonia has no right to demand the drag queen\u2019s name. Instagram\/@pattiegonia<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a brand conflict. This is a corporation trying to erase an activist,\u201d Wiley added<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Patagonia sued Wiley for \u201cirreparable\u201d damage, claiming in its lawsuit that the brand \u201cmust protect its iconic trademarks, even when it supports or agrees with Pattie Gonia\u2019s views, message, or objectives.\u201d <\/p>\n

Wiley came to an agreement with the company in 2022 that he would respect the brand\u2019s trademarks \u2014 but then turned around and filed an application with the US Patent and Trademark Office to use the \u201cPattie Gonia\u201d brand for a host of commercial endeavors two years later, according to court docs.<\/p>\n

Patagonia is suing drag queen Pattie Gonia for causing \u201cirreparable\u201d damage by trading on the company\u2019s logo. Kristina Blokhin \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Wiley\u2019s trademark application showed he intends to \u201claunch a wide-ranging commercial enterprise under the PATTIE GONIA brand\u201d including apparel sales, and using the name to promote his upcoming shows and appearances, according to the complaint filed recently in US District Court for the Central District of California and obtained by\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The trademark application<\/a> \u201creflects a departure\u201d from the drag performer\u2019s agreement<\/a> to use his name for activism, Patagonia alleged.<\/p>\n

Emails exchanged between Wiley and Patagonia from 2022 reveal that the company specifically asked he refrain from using the company\u2019s logos \u201cor any substantially similar designs,\u201d including Patagonia\u2019s familiar Belwe font.<\/p>\n

The trademark application \u201creflects a departure\u201d from Pattie Gonia\u2019s agreement to use his name for activism. Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cPatagonia remains supportive of your work but must insist that the Pattie Gonia persona not be commercialized and continue to adhere to the commitments made in 2022,\u201d the email reads.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, these latest product sales force Patagonia\u2019s hand and so I\u2019m asking that you discontinue sales of t-shirts and stickers (or any product) using Pattie Gonia branding or designs substantially similar to Patagonia\u2019s logos.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wiley maintains that Patagonia is mistaken and called it out for the lawsuit against him.<\/p>\n

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Pattie Gonia is also a climate activist who focuses on environmental protections. The Washington Post via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cPatagonia Inc. claims \u2018they\u2019re in business to save the home planet\u2019 if this is what saving the home planet looks like to them, then one of us has profoundly misunderstood the assignment, and it\u2019s not me,\u201d he wrote on Instagram.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the last 4 months since the lawsuit was filed, i have stayed silent and worked every channel i had to resolve this without going to court,\u201d Wiley continued, saying they had the option to endure \u201cthe erasure of my name\u201d or fight against the lawsuit.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo i\u2019m fighting, and i\u2019m inviting you to join me in a simple call to action: patagonia, drop the lawsuit,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n

Wiley claims that Patagonia is suing him for \u201cirreparable harm\u201d related to his \u201cmotivational speaking services in support of environmental sustainability\u201d and \u201corganizing, arranging, and conducting trail and hiking events.\u201d<\/p>\n

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