Latest news with #PattieGonia
Washington Post
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Why drag queen Pattie Gonia is werking from the mountaintops
It's been a big year for Pattie Gonia: She lip-synched 'Defying Gravity' in front of Cynthia Erivo at the Out 100 party, performed a sold-out show during WorldPride in D.C. and became the first person to deliver a TED talk in full drag. These would be remarkable achievements for any drag queen. But Pattie Gonia is not any drag queen. She's a mustachioed, anti-capitalist, environmentalist activist drag queen.
Daily Mail
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Elon Musk's transgender daughter Vivian Jenna Wilson dances with Trans Pride flag at drag show raising cash for immigrants' legal bills
Elon Musk 's transgender daughter Vivian Jenna Wilson strutted across a drag show stage, proudly waving a trans flag while raising cash for the defence funds of immigrants in LA. The 21-year-old, who is famously at odds with her billionaire Tesla co-founder father Musk, performed at the Save Her drag show at the Bellwether in Los Angele s yesterday night. The production, led by critically acclaimed drag artist Pattie Gonia, was announced as a benefit show with a 100 percent of the money going towards towards legal defence funds for immigrants. It comes as riots have gripped the Californian City after peaceful demonstrations against federal immigration sweeps by Trump's administration descended into violence in recent weeks. The US President deployed 2,000 to the West Coast to enforce 'very strong law and order' amid outrage over increased Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in predominantly Latino areas after vowing to crack down on immigration. Showing her solidarity to demonstrators, Vivian took the stage in a black catsuit coupled with a metal structured corset as she proudly draped a trans flag above her head. Cutting shapes with her lengthy pins, her blonde tresses draped down to her hips as she posed with her striking and unique dark eyeshadow and lipstick. At one point of the show, the social media personality flaunted her flexibility, kicking her black high-heeled boot behind her head as she stretched along the stage's floor. Vivian and Musk's, strained relationship has been long recorded, having previously clashed over political disagreements, with the billionaire claiming the youngster believed 'anyone rich is evil'. Last year, the entrepeneur, who reportedly has 12 children, also previously claimed he was 'tricked' by the 'woke mind virus' into allowing Vivian become a transgender woman. 'It's incredibly evil and I agree with you that the people that are promoting this should go to prison,' Musk responded, when asked about gender dysphoria. The Trevor Project found that 46 percent of transgender and nonbinary young people seriously considered suicide in the US in 2023. Just 13 percent of transgender and nonbinary young people reported taking gender-affirming hormones in 2023 and just two percent took puberty blockers. Recalling the moment she realised she was transgender in a recent interview with Teen Vogue, Vivian revealed she was 'constantly having mental breakdowns' while in school. 'I just wanted to rot, pretty much. It was like, I cannot do this anymore. If I stay in the closet anymore, this is going to take me down a very destructive path', she said. Two days later, in 2020, she went public on her Instagram prior to telling her mom, Justine Wilson, a move which she now says she regrets. Wilson said that while her mom had been supportive, she had not spoken with Musk in months prior to coming out, and that he was not supportive in her decision. Describing her use of social media, she proclaimed herself 'the Queen of Threads', the arch rival of her father's company X, which is owned by Mark Zuckerberg's Meta. The 21-year-old also shared she has been financially independent from her billionaire father since coming out as trans and now lives abroad, studying languages. Despite her independence, she did add that she has in the past received Venmo money requests for thousands of dollars due to her father's status as the world's richest man. She said: 'I haven't made any money from being famous at all. I have made zero dollars and zero cents. I do live in a lot of people's heads rent-free, though. 'I feel like Twitch streaming would be so much fun…. I don't feel like the world needs another Twitch streamer, but [I'd] love to do it.' The interview also shone a light on her love of drag queens, something which she says she would love to do. 'It's on my bucket list to win a drag pageant', Wilson added before saying she would likely choose to appear as a 'drag king' saying: 'I would eat that up'. During the interview in March of this year, she also candidly revealed that she didn't know how many siblings in total she has. 'I found out about Grimes having a second child because a drag queen posted about it on Reddit.' She added that at the time her and Grimes had not been in communication, but that appears to have changed after Grimes came to her support last year. Wilson also told the outlet that she had found out about Musk's latest alleged child with MAGA influencer Ashley St. Clair after also seeing a Reddit post. The interview delved into what remains of the relationship between Wilson and Musk, which she bluntly said she 'didn't give a f*** about'. Discussing his recent behaviour, including what some have interpreted as him making a Nazi salute while addressing a crowd of MAGA fanatics, she explained how she denounce her father's behaviour dubbing it 'f**king cringe'. She added: 'I don't give a f**k about him. I really don't. It's annoying that people associate me with him. I just don't have any room to care anymore.' When asked if she ever felt scared of her father, she called him a 'pathetic man-child'. More recently, the 21-year-old subtly reacted to Musk's explosive fallout with Donald Trump over his 'Big Beautiful Bill', which includes extending tax cuts as well as more requirements to be eligible for federal benefits. It also would see a hike to the national debt ceiling. Vivan addressed the feud on her Instagram Stories with a video of herself laughing captioned, 'I love being proven right.' 'I do not want to comment,' then burst into a fit of laughter,' she said. She followed up with post from Threads paired with the song 'Job Application' by Chase Icon and the caption, 'Such beauty in life.' When Trump was asked about Musk's criticism when he was supposed to be hosting the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office afterthe fallout, he said: 'Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will any more, I was surprised,' the president told reporters. On Wednesday, Musk issued a apologised to Trump on his platform X, expressing his regret adding that his statements 'went too far'.
CBC
01-06-2025
- 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.'
