Latest news with #PattieGonia
CBC
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Heels, joy and climate action: Why artist Pattie Gonia blends drag with activism
Joy, glitter and a pair of thigh-high heels might not sound like standard-issue gear for climate activism, but for drag queen Pattie Gonia, they're just some of the essential tools in her fight for the planet. Pattie Gonia, known offstage as Wyn Wiley, is an environmental advocate who works to make climate education and advocacy more engaging and accessible. "The climate movement needs some more joy and some more fun," she told What On Earth host Laura Lynch. "So our shows are just that. They're a chance for the community to come together, to celebrate solutions and to celebrate the people making those solutions happen." For Pattie Gonia, climate activism is not just about grim statistics or dire predictions. It's about bringing people together through creativity, performance and a bit of irreverence. "If there's one thing that drag has taught me, it's that you can take fighting for something seriously without taking yourself too seriously," she said. Different kind of environmental activism taking root Pattie Gonia's approach is part of a broader movement known as creative activism, which blends art and advocacy to make activism more accessible. Stephen Duncombe, co-founder and research director at the Centre for Artistic Activism and a professor of media and culture at New York University, sees this approach as essential to modern activism. "Using things like creativity or humour or a drag show is a way to kind of bring people in before they've made up their mind about what the issue is," he said. "Cognitive scientists have been telling us for about 20 years that we usually dismiss facts that don't align with our beliefs, but if we don't know what something is, we're more open to it." In a public experiment he co-led in Copenhagen, Duncombe found that creative forms of activism were "much more effective at a whole sort of range of objectives," in part because people described them as "fun, funny, surprising," and "something they wanted to approach rather than avoid." Making climate activism more accessible But making activism accessible isn't just about adding fun for Pattie Gonia. It's also about challenging the exclusivity often found within environmental movements. Climate activism, particularly at high-profile events, is often financially inaccessible due to steep fees that exclude many from participating, she said. "You have to have a $1,000, $2,000, $3,000 ticket to even get into the room where the conversations are happening. I don't think that's equitable. I don't think that's a climate movement by the people for the people." As an alternative, Pattie Gonia works with groups, such as Outdoorist Oath, which she co-founded, to help BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and femmes connect with nature through education and community. Whether leading a Pride hike in Yosemite National Park or organizing an annual environmental drag show tour, her work is rooted in community. How drag is breaking down barriers in the climate fight 17 days ago Duration 1:30 Drag queen Pattie Gonia is bringing style and sass to the climate fight. Through her TikTok account and community events, she aims to show why 2SLGBTQ+ people need to be involved in protecting the environment. "Grassroots solutions are actually how change is made," Pattie Gonia said. "When problems feel too large, get local — focus on your local community." Duncombe sees this blend of art and activism as essential: "Politics is played out in a level of signs and symbols and stories and spectacles," he said. "That's the terrain of artists ... it's affective insofar as it gets people feeling things, but it's also really effective, because that's the world we live in." And when activism connects on that emotional level, it can unite people — not just around a cause, but around each other, said Pattie Gonia. "People united will never be defeated."
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Miami Herald
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Activists unfurl trans pride flag on iconic Yosemite cliff. ‘Hate is unnatural'
A group of transgender and LGBTQ+ activists climbed an iconic cliff face in Yosemite National Park to celebrate trans identity and make a stand against anti-trans 'hate.' Led by the popular drag queen and environmentalist Pattie Gonia, the group climbed El Capitan with a giant pastel pink, sky blue and white transgender pride flag and displayed it across the cliff face early Tuesday, May 20. 'Some carry hate. We carry the largest trans pride flag to ever be flown in a national park and unfurled it on the side of El Cap to prove a point: that trans is natural,' the drag queen said in a video shared to their Instagram page. 'The Trump administration and transphobes would love to have you believe that being trans is unnatural. But species that can transition sexes can be found on every continent and in every ocean on planet earth. So call it a protest. Call it a celebration. We are bringing elevation to liberation. ' The display was a way to honor and uphold transgender identity, Pattie Gonia said in the video, while protesting the White House's attempts to erase it from society altogether. 'They try to erase us from government websites and education systems and libraries. So we raise this flag higher than ever before so every trans person knows that they have people that love them in their corner,' she said. 'The people united will never be defeated.' A spokesperson for Yosemite National Park told McClatchy News in a statement that 'the flag was removed as soon as possible.' 'The National Park Service is conducting an inquiry into the facts and circumstances around this event. We take the protection of our national parks seriously and will not tolerate behavior that undermines their integrity,' the spokesperson said. Less than a month into President Donald Trump's second term, he signed an executive order calling for federal agencies to wipe out any acknowledgment of transgender, intersex, and nonbinary people on federal identification documents, McClatchy News previously reported. The move to erase trans and gender-expansive people from official documentation was part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to push back against what it called 'ideologues who deny the biological reality of sex,' McClatchy News reported. As a result, federal agencies removed any mention of trans, intersex, and nonbinary people from government websites, NBC News reported. 'A page on the State Department's website that had … provided information for 'LGBTQI Travelers' now addresses only 'LGB Travelers,'' the outlet reported. 'Similarly, a State Department web page providing 'Resources for LGBTQI+ Prospective Adoptive Parents' now just says 'LGB Prospective Adoptive Parents.'' That same change was also implemented on independent federal agency websites such as the Social Security Administration, the outlet reported. Hundreds of people commented on Pattie Gonia's video with messages of hope and support. 'Hate is unnatural,' someone said. Several mentioned their favorite species found in nature — from plants and trees to several species of fish including the iconic clownfish — that defy the gender binary. Some also shared their experience as parents of transgender children. 'As a mama bear this makes my heart a little lighter,' someone said, including the trans pride flag emoji in the comment to indicate their child is trans. 'It's scary out there, and all I want for my baby is health and happiness. To be loved and accepted. And that's all she wants. Or if not to be accepted by all, to at least be left in peace. That's it. There's no 'agenda.' Trans is beautiful.'
San Francisco Chronicle
21-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Yosemite climbers just hung a huge trans Pride flag from El Capitan: ‘Visibility and resistance'
A group of climber-activists has just hung a large transgender Pride flag in the middle of El Capitan's massive granite face, visible to onlookers in Yosemite Valley. It's an 'act of visibility and resistance' meant to raise awareness about what the climbers call discrimination against transgender people by the Trump administration, according to a statement from the group, which described itself as a coalition of transgender, queer and allied climbers. 'Trans people belong in nature, in community and everywhere,' the group said. The demonstration comes amid the Trump administration's moves to eliminate institutional support of diversity, equity and inclusion across the federal government and in higher education, with many private companies following suit as well. In its statement, the group says the administration is 'actively working to erase trans people from government databases, education systems, libraries and discriminate against queer and trans park rangers in the National Park system.' The transgender Pride flag, which has appeared at LGBT+ gatherings for the past quarter-century, shows five horizontal stripes in light blue, pink and white — colors chosen to symbolize masculine, feminine and trans or gender-neutral identities. The climber group claims the flag they unfurled Tuesday morning, which measures 55 feet by 35 feet, 'is the largest flag ever displayed on El Capitan.' It was hung on the Heart Ledges, a famously visible granite feature about 1,500 feet off the ground. Yosemite Valley has been the site of several political protests this year denouncing the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency. Tuesday's demonstration comes three months after a group of Yosemite National Park staffers hung a large, upside-down American flag — symbolizing distress — from the top of El Capitan during the annual Firefall spectacle. That instance was meant to draw attention to sweeping job cuts affecting federal public lands workers. Nate Vince, a coordinator of the Firefall flag display who was also involved in Tuesday's demonstration, said in the statement, 'Everyone deserves respect. Trans people are my friends. I step up when my friends need help and we all need to step up right now for trans people.' One of the lead organizers of the Pride flag demonstration is Pattie Gonia, an outdoor enthusiast, drag queen and social media personality who is an outspoken advocate of connecting trans people to the outdoors. 'Let this flag fly higher than hate,' Pattie Gonia said in the group's statement. 'We are done being polite about trans people's existence. Call it a protest, call it a celebration — either way, it's giving elevation to liberation.'
USA Today
20-05-2025
- General
- USA Today
Watch trans pride flag fly from Yosemite National Park's El Capitan: 'Done being polite'
Watch trans pride flag fly from Yosemite National Park's El Capitan: 'Done being polite' A coalition of LGBTQIA+ folks and allies hung a large transgender pride flag from Yosemite's El Capitan on Tuesday. They say it flew proud for about 90 minutes before it was removed. Show Caption Hide Caption See as rock climbers hang Transgender Pride flag in Yosemite Rock climbers unfurled a large Transgender Pride flag on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. The National Park Service has since removed it. Activists hung a giant transgender pride flag from a famous landmark in Yosemite National Park on Tuesday morning. A coalition of transgender, queer and LGBTQIA+ ally rock climbers hung the 55-by-35-foot transgender pride flag from the towering El Capitan rock formation in the central California national park around 10 a.m. PT on Tuesday, May 20, a group spokesperson told USA TODAY. The coalition, operating under the project name Trans is Natural, was led by drag queen and musical artist Pattie Gonia, the persona of LGBTQIA+ activist Wyn Wiley. The name promotes the idea that transgenderism is naturally occurring in various species − not just humans. 'We flew the Trans Pride flag in Yosemite to make a statement: Trans people are natural and trans people are loved," Gonia said in a news release. "Let this flag fly higher than hate. We are done being polite about trans people's existence. Call it a protest, call it a celebration – either way, it's giving elevation to liberation." The flag has been removed. Here's what you need to know. Supreme Court: Trump, religious rights and transgender care: Supreme Court's major decisions coming soon Park officials remove flag Park officials removed the Transgender Pride flag from El Capitan around 11:30 a.m. PT, according to the group that hung it. The National Park Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment about removing the flag when contacted by USA TODAY on May 20. The demonstration was held almost exactly three months after a group of protesters hung an upside-down American flag from El Capitan on Feb. 22. Held during Yosemite's "Firefall" event, the flag served as a protest against federal job cuts carried out by President Donald Trump's administration. Towering more than 3,000 vertical feet above the valley floor, El Capitan is one of the most famous landmarks in Yosemite National Park, and definitely an eye-catching location to make a statement. It gained even more notoriety as the site of 2018's Oscar-winning documentary "Free Solo," about climber Alex Honnold's incredible ascent of El Capitan without safety equipment. Firefall protest: Video: Demonstrators hang upside-down American flag at Yosemite National Park Who is Pattie Gonia, LGBTQIA+ and environmental activist? Pattie Gonia is the drag name of LGBTQIA+ and environmental activist Wyn Wiley. Gonia is a co-founder of Outdoorist Oath, a nonprofit that advocates for education and LGBTQIA+ allyship in taking action for the planet, and founder of Queer Outdoor and Environmental Job Board, an online resource for LGBTQIA+ folks and allies interested in jobs within the environmental and outdoor industries. In 2024, Gonia was named one of TIME Magazine's Next Generation Leaders and this year, she was recognized as one of National Geographic's 33 Changemakers. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
NBC News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Yosemite climbers unfurl transgender pride flag on iconic El Capitan
'We flew the Trans pride flag in Yosemite to make a statement: Trans people are natural and Trans people are loved,' drag performer and environmentalist Pattie Gonia, one of the demonstration's lead organizers, said in a statement. 'Let this flag fly higher than hate. We are done being polite about Trans people's existence. Call it a protest, call it a celebration — either way, it's giving elevation to liberation.' The group noted that the demonstration comes as the Trump administration has removed mentions of transgender and intersex people from government websites, including from the website for the Stonewall National Monument. The New York City monument commemorates the 1969 Stonewall uprising, which historians believe was led in part by trans people and which is largely considered a turning point in the modern gay rights movement. Nate Vince, a climber who was involved in raising an upside-down U.S. flag during Yosemite's firefall event in February to protest the Trump administration's cuts of National Park Service employees, said in the statement shared by Trans Is Natural that 'everyone deserves respect.' 'Trans people are my friends,' Vince said. 'I step up when my friends need help and we all need to step up right now for Trans people.' The climbers hung the flag on the 'Heart Ledges' as a way to reclaim space in the heart of Yosemite, their statement said. 'Raising this flag in the heart of El Capitan is a celebration of our community standing in solidarity with each other and all targeted groups,' SJ Joslin, a conservationist and a lead organizer of the demonstration, said in a statement. 'Trans existence is not up for debate. We are social workers, public servants, parents, and neighbors. Being trans is a natural, beautiful part of human and biological diversity. We can only make progress when we embrace diversity, not erase it.'
