In an open letter and video, the climate activist and drag queen breaks her silence on the active federal trademark infringement suit with Patagonia, challenging the outdoor giant’s core values.
For the first time since the lawsuit was filed, Pattie Gonia issued a public statement asking Patagonia to drop the lawsuit (Photo: Samuel Crossley)
Updated May 27, 2026 01:59PM
For the first time since outdoor apparel manufacturer Patagonia filed its lawsuit against drag queen Pattie Gonia, the climate activist is publicly firing back.
On May 27, Pattie Gonia released a video and an open letter to Patagonia, asking the company to drop its legal claim that she violated a trademark agreement between the two.
“If your executives and lawyers continue to pursue this lawsuit, it will make one thing clear: They are willing to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to grind me down so far that I can’t continue to operate,” reads a letter sent to Patagonia and also to Outside.
A spokesperson from Patagonia provided Outside with a statement:
“Over the past several years, we’ve tried to find a path forward that would allow Pattie Gonia to continue their work while also protecting the Patagonia trademark. These conversations have included multiple proposals—each intended to support that path—along with ongoing dialogue and genuine efforts to avoid this ending up in court. Unfortunately, we could not reach an agreement.”
“Patagonia has a responsibility to protect the company that generations of employees have helped build,” the statement continued. “Not because a name matters more than people, but because that name carries trust, purpose, and decades of work connected to environmental activism, product, storytelling and community impact. Protecting the Patagonia trademark is part of protecting the ability of this company to continue doing that work in the future. ”
Pattie Gonia, a 2022 Outside Outsider of the Year, is the drag name of Wyn Wiley, 33. Pattie Gonia advocates for LGBTQ+ inclusivity and for the protection of public land and the environment. Since 2018, she has built a social media platform with over 3 million followers.
On January 21, Patagonia filed a lawsuit against Pattie Gonia in a California court. According to court documents sent to Outside, the lawsuit concerns Pattie Gonia’s alleged use of Patagonia’s trademarks. Patagonia claims that Pattie Gonia violated a prior agreement regarding the use of the company’s name and logo, stating that Pattie Gonia’s recent trademark application was her “departure from discrete use of a persona to engage in activism” to instead “launch a wide-ranging commercial enterprise.”
“This enterprise contradicts [Pattie Gonia’s] prior promises, and appropriates Patagonia’s brand and identity in a way that has already confused consumers, and will continue to confuse consumers, about Patagonia’s role in producing or sponsoring Pattie Gonia’s products, events and public appearances,” Patagonia wrote in its lawsuit. “Patagonia supports advocacy and activism that promote the environment and inclusion in the outdoors, central to Pattie Gonia’s ostensible mission.
In its suit, Patagonia sought $1 in “nominal” damages, as well as a court order blocking Pattie Gonia from selling merchandise that infringed on its trademark, and from receiving a federal “Pattie Gonia” trademark.
“This matter is not about seeking financial gain, nor is it about challenging anyone’s identity or right to advocacy, protest, or creative expression,” the Patagonia statement continued. “The last thing we wanted was a legal fight with someone who shares our values, but we must protect our business and employees.”
Outside contacted Pattie Gonia, but she declined to comment further on her video and statement issued on May 27
In her letter, Pattie Gonia asked Patagonia to drop the lawsuit, stating that litigation hurts not only the drag queen but also the “people I employ, the millions of people I try to inspire, and dozens of nonprofit organizations that I have supported.”
“If this lawsuit is what saving the planet looks like to Patagonia’s current leadership, then one of us has profoundly misunderstood the assignment. And it is not me,” she said. “If Patagonia wants to celebrate Pride Month this year by taking a queer climate activist to federal court, then I’m here to fight for myself, and I am here to fight for us.”
Patagonia has filed trademark suits against other brands for using the name “Patagonia.” In 2023, Patagonia settled a lawsuit against Gap, Inc., alleging that the clothing retailer had illegally copied its iconic snap-flap pocket. Patagonia also sued Anheuser-Busch in 2019 for selling beer Patagonia said infringed on the brand’s name and aesthetic.
Pattie Gonia called on her followers to ask Patagonia to drop the lawsuit. She also stated that she has never used the Patagonia logo, font, or any other brand elements on her merchandise.
“This is not a joke. This is real,” Pattie Gonia said. “Patagonia is taking me to court because they claim I’m causing ‘irreparable’ harm to their brand by doing, and wait for it, ‘motivational speaking services in support of environmental sustainability’ and ‘organizing, arranging, and conducting trail and hiking events.”
