Top 5 Things You Need to Know About Pattie Gonia’s Massive New Climate Venture
- Drag queen, environmentalist, and internet sensation Pattie Gonia just launched a game-changing, nationwide initiative called the "Out There Coalition," aimed at building a queer-led network for climate resilience. Unlike typical environmental campaigns, this one is fully focused on creating safe, outdoorsy spaces for LGBTQ+ folks who love nature but often feel excluded from traditional hiking and camping communities.
- The venture includes a $250,000 seed fund for grassroots queer environmental projects, making it one of the largest direct cash investments from a drag activist into local climate action. Early recipients include trans-led urban gardening collectives and queer wilderness therapy programs in rural states—places where the "outdoors" has historically felt unwelcoming.
- Pattie Gonia, whose real name is Wyn Wiley, is leveraging their massive platform (over 1.5 million followers) to challenge the "white, straight, able-bodied" stereotype of environmentalists. The new coalition specifically prioritizes BIPOC and disabled queer creators, with a mentorship component that pairs them with veteran scientists and activists.
- The announcement comes on the heels of a viral TikTok where Pattie Gonia performed in full drag atop a melting glacier in Alaska, calling out major oil companies by name. That video has already been viewed 12 million times and sparked a wave of backlash from conservative commentators, which the activist says only proves the message is hitting home.
- Critics are already questioning the organization's long-term sustainability, but early indicators show massive grassroots support: within 24 hours of the launch, over 8,000 people signed up to join local "Out There" chapters in all 50 states. Pattie Gonia says the goal is to make climate activism feel as joyful, creative, and fabulous as drag itself—and so far, the numbers suggest it's working.