Pattie Gonia Is the Drag Queen Bringing Environmentalism to TikTok

Drag queens are known to bring irreverence—and fabulous outfits!—to the stage. But have you ever seen a performer bring that energy to the hiking trail? That’s what drag queen Pattie Gonia is doing on TikTok: The 29-year-old “environmentalist, drag queen, and professional homosexual” uses their theatrical ensembles and clever videos to promote environmental activism. They’ve even rock-climbed in heels!

Pattie Gonia posted their first TikTok in December 2020, and each TikTok they’ve posted since has been a bold statement about respecting the planet we live on (their videos have garnered over 1 million likes and 127,000 followers.) Among other moments, they’ve turned eliminating waste into a fashion moment: “If you can hold onto your trash boyfriend for two whole years, then you can hold onto this piece of trash for 5 more minutes,” Pattie Gonia will say while picking up discarded trash on the ground, while wearing an elaborate gown made of—what else?—recycled trash. They’ve also recreated a scene from The Sound of Music to make a point about global warming. (“The hills are alive, with the sound of. . . climate change,” they quip.) “My love of drag and the outdoors has always been one in the same,” says Pattie Gonia of their design inspiration. 

Below, Pattie Gonia discusses their favorite outfits they’ve ever made, their love of the outdoors, and how they managed to rock climb in heels. 

When did you start doing drag? 

Pattie was born 3 years ago on a backpacking trip in Colorado. I had only done drag once before, but decided to do drag in the outdoors and it changed my life in just about every way possible. I learned about myself as a queer person, I learned there was a massive queer community in the outdoors I didn’t know existed, and learned there’s so much work to do to make the outdoors a space that everyone has equal access to and feels safe in.

What made you want to start creating on TikTok?

I wanted to share my environmental advocacy through my art form of drag—and also make the outdoors as gay as possible. 

What's your process for creating TikToks? Where do you get ideas? 

My process is to ask myself, “How can I create content that can help teach people about the climate crisis, and motivate them to [participate in] climate action?” I get inspiration from legends like @alexisnikole [a fellow TikTok creator and forager]. I also learn from Queer, BIPOC and AAPI climate scientists and researchers like Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. Nowadays, I find myself busy with outdoor advocacy projects, community organizing for the climate movement, and of course, going outside to walk the children in nature.

How would you define your drag style? 

I would define my drag style as unshowered. My drag style has evolved over the years from just wearing heels to sporting full drag looks based on animals like birds (the drag queens of the sky!), or creating looks out of upcycled materials from plastic bags to tents. My love of drag and the outdoors has always been one in the same. What a lot of people don’t know about drag is that its roots are in social justice. Drag queens (primarily queens of color) were at the front lines advocating for the gay rights movement. Nowadays, it’s my goal to honor drag’s original roots of social justice, but also fight for environmental justice as well. 

We need to know all the details about this trash dress....

Ah! Thanks! That’s one of my favorites! My best friend and I were sitting in quarantine with nothing to do, so we made it out of trash from our house and our family’s houses. Yolo.

And this leaf dress. Do your drag looks have any sustainable elements to them? 

Yes they do! I try to make my looks as low-waste as possible. But I have to give myself a lot of grace, because I’m never perfect. I also try to stick to using the same make-up palettes and not using things like glitter, which is made up of micro plastics and end up in our oceans for thousands of years.

What else inspires you when it comes to creating your drag looks?

No greater inspiration than Mother Natch herself. 

How did you manage to rock climb in heels?!

I manage by falling on my ass (and frequently), but I’ve been hiking in heels for 3 years now so these ankles have some experience.

What has been your most viral video, and why do you think it went viral? 

My most viral video was actually Pattie’s first ever video, dancing to Fergie’s ‘London Bridge’ while eating Hot Cheetos. I think it went viral because I believe there’s a little drag queen in everybody.

What's your favorite TikTok of all time? And which one took you the longest?

 My favorite TikTok is the one where I’m dressed up as Lady Liberty and I launch a voodoo doll of Trump out of a slingshot made of a surgical mask. That one also took the longest—many attempts of getting the perfect slingshot launch of Trump.

What's the next big idea you want to attempt on TikTok?

 A project I’m planning for this winter is to travel to Alaska and, in full drag perform a spoken word funeral for a melting glacier.