{"id":13958,"date":"2026-05-27T18:22:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T18:22:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=13958"},"modified":"2026-05-27T18:22:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T18:22:30","slug":"activist-pattie-gonia-fights-back-against-patagonia-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=13958","title":{"rendered":"Activist Pattie Gonia Fights Back Against Patagonia Lawsuit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"justify-start\">\n<nav class=\"align-left col-span-full mb-base\" data-pom-e2e-test-id=\"breadcrumbs\"\/>\n<p>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&#8217;s core values. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/p>\n<p class=\"fp-leadCaption py-tight text-left font-utility text-utility3-size leading-utility3-line-height text-secondary\">For the first time since the lawsuit was filed, Pattie Gonia issued a public statement asking Patagonia to drop the lawsuit<!-- --> (Photo: Samuel Crossley)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Published May 27, 2026 12:00PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>For the first time since outdoor apparel manufacturer Patagonia filed its lawsuit against drag queen Pattie Gonia, the climate activist is publicly firing back.<\/p>\n<p>On May 27, Pattie Gonia released a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/pattiegonia\/reel\/DY2L725tVow\/\">video<\/a> and an open letter to Patagonia, asking the company to drop its legal claim\u00a0that she violated a trademark agreement between the two.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf 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\u2019t continue to operate,\u201d reads a letter sent to Patagonia and also to <em>Outside<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>In response, a spokesperson from Patagonia referred<em> Outside <\/em>to a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patagoniaworks.com\/press\/2026\/1\/21\/protecting-our-brand-update-on-trademark-activity\">company statement<\/a> addressing the lawsuit. According to the statement, Pattie Gonia violated the agreement by\u00a0selling branded apparel online featuring versions of the Patagonia logo. In 2025, Pattie Gonia then\u00a0filed a trademark application that Patagonia said posed long-term threats to the company\u2019s brand and activism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re not against art, creative expression, or commentary about our brand. We want Pattie to have a long and successful career and make progress on issues that matter\u2014but in a way that respects Patagonia\u2019s intellectual property and ability to use our brand to sell products and advocate for the environment,\u201d Patagonia wrote at the time of its lawsuit filing.<\/p>\n<p>Pattie Gonia, a 2022 <em>Outside<\/em> Outsider of the Year, is the drag name of Wynn Wiley, 33. Pattie Gonia advocates for LGBTQ+ inclusivity and for the protection of public land and the environment. Since 2018, she has built a <span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px\">social media platform with over 3 million followers<\/span><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"width:100%;border:none;display:block\" title=\"Script Content\" async=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>On January 21, Patagonia filed a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pacermonitor.com\/public\/case\/62654062\/Patagonia,_Inc_v_Entrepreneur_Enterprises,_Inc_et_al\">lawsuit<\/a> against Pattie Gonia in a California court. According to court documents sent to <em>Outside<\/em>, the lawsuit concerns Pattie Gonia\u2019s alleged use of Patagonia\u2019s trademarks. Patagonia claims that Pattie Gonia violated a prior agreement regarding the use of the company\u2019s name and logo, stating that Pattie Gonia\u2019s recent trademark application was her \u201cdeparture from discrete use of a persona to engage in activism\u201d to instead \u201claunch a wide-ranging commercial enterprise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis enterprise contradicts [Pattie Gonia\u2019s] prior promises, and appropriates Patagonia\u2019s brand and identity in a way that has already confused consumers, and will continue to confuse consumers, about Patagonia\u2019s role in producing or sponsoring Pattie Gonia\u2019s products, events and public appearances,\u201d Patagonia wrote in its lawsuit. \u201cPatagonia supports advocacy and activism that promote the environment and inclusion in the outdoors, central to Pattie Gonia\u2019s ostensible mission.<\/p>\n<p>In its suit, Patagonia sought $1 in \u201cnominal\u201d damages, as well as a court order blocking Pattie Gonia from selling merchandise that infringed on its trademark, and from receiving a federal \u201cPattie Gonia\u201d trademark.<\/p>\n<p><em>Outside<\/em> contacted Pattie Gonia, but she declined to comment further on her video and statement issued on May 27<\/p>\n<p>In her <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pattiegonia.net\/patagonia-open-letter\">letter<\/a>, Pattie Gonia asked Patagonia to drop the lawsuit, stating that litigation hurts not only the drag queen but also the \u201cpeople I employ, the millions of people I try to inspire, and dozens of nonprofit organizations that I have supported.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf this lawsuit is what saving the planet looks like to Patagonia\u2019s current leadership, then one of us has profoundly misunderstood the assignment. And it is not me,\u201d she said. \u201cIf Patagonia wants to celebrate Pride Month this year by taking a queer climate activist to federal court, then I\u2019m here to fight for myself, and I am here to fight for us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Patagonia has filed trademark suits against other brands for using the name \u201cPatagonia.\u201d In 2023, Patagonia <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/retail-consumer\/gap-settles-patagonia-trademark-lawsuit-over-iconic-pocket-design-2023-06-01\/\">settled a lawsuit<\/a> against Gap, Inc., alleging that the clothing retailer had illegally copied its iconic snap-flap pocket. Patagonia also <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2019\/04\/10\/business\/patagonia-anheuser-busch-lawsuit-trnd\">sued Anheuser-Busch<\/a> in 2019 for selling beer Patagonia said infringed on the brand\u2019s name and aesthetic.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is not a joke. This is real,\u201d Pattie Gonia said. \u201cPatagonia is taking me to court because they claim I\u2019m causing \u2018irreparable\u2019 harm to their brand by doing, and wait for it, \u2018motivational speaking services in support of environmental sustainability\u2019 and \u2018organizing, arranging, and conducting trail and hiking events.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-adventure\/environment\/pattie-gonia-patagonia-lawsuit-response\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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&#8217;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) Published<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wild-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13958\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}