Latest news with #WynWiley
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."
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@
