Drag queen Pattie Gonia is being sued by Patagonia.
Last week, Pattie Gonia—an Oregon-based drag queen and climate activist—spoke out about the lawsuit filed against her by the outdoor clothing brand Patagonia, claiming it’s an attempt to erase her and strip her of her name.
Patagonia is suing the drag artist for $1 in damages in addition to legal fees. The complaint, filed in January, alleges that Pattie Gonia’s use of a “near-copy” name commercially—in addition to her 2024 trademark application for exclusive rights to that name—pose “long-term threats” to the company’s brand.
The complaint mentions an incident in 2022 in which Pattie Gonia was exploring a collaboration with water bottle company Hydro Flask. After Hydro Flask contacted Patagonia about it, the company alleges that Pattie Gonia agreed to refrain from selling branded products or using fonts and designs that copy—or are “substantially similar”—to that of Patagonia’s.
The company stated that while it supports Pattie Gonia’s message of climate advocacy, it alleges that Pattie Gonia has overstepped by continuing to sell products under her name in similar categories and with similar fonts and logos as it could lead to marketplace confusion.
“The trademark application reflects Pattie Gonia’s departure from discrete use of a persona to engage in activism and confirms Defendants’ intent instead to launch a wide-ranging commercial enterprise under the Pattie Gonia brand,” the complaint reads.
Pattie Gonia alleges that the infringements the brand highlighted in the complaint are largely made up of examples of “playful parody” and fan-made merch.
This week, Patagonia posted another statement stating that they would settle with Pattie Gonia if she did three things: withdraw all trademark applications, stop using Patagonia’s logos and stop the selling and promotion of apparel and other products as Pattie Gonia.
Pattie Gonia has said that she would agree to the first two conditions to drop the suit. But in a response on Instagram, Pattie Gonia claimed that accepting the terms of the last point would hinder her ability to do her work in climate activism.
“Patagonia is not just talking about my upcycled T-shirt merch,” she wrote. “They’re talking about the partnership work with other brands that I’ve done for years to pay for the education, advocacy and activism that me and my team do. If I can’t do partnerships as Pattie Gonia, it breaks the whole ecosystem of advocacy and community engagement.”
As of the start of June—coincidentally, Pride Month—Pattie Gonia has refused to settle on these terms, which means they could be heading to court.
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