Written by by Heather Hunter at washingtonexaminer.com
Pattie Gonia, a drag queen and climate change activist, is being celebrated by National Geographic in their 2024 “Travelers of the Year” list.
Gonia posted the announcement on Instagram earlier this week, and the post received over 34,000 likes, including a like from transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney. The Instagram account has over 603,000 followers.
The biological male performer, who uses she/they pronouns, is a co-founder of the nonprofit organization Outdoorist Oath, dedicated to “action-based commitment for planet, inclusion, and adventure.”
Gonia is a self-described “intersectional environmentalist, drag queen, and advocate for inclusivity” and to “uplift LGBTQIA+ people and other underrepresented groups” in the outdoors.
“When they’re not busy advocating for the outdoors, you can find Pattie out of drag, as Wyn (he/they) in the outdoors backpacking,” Outdoorist Oath’s website bio page describes Gonia.