Drag Queen Pattie Gonia Completes 100-Mile Trek in Full Drag, Raising $1.1 Million for Equitable Environmental Nonprofits

Pattie Gonia, a prominent drag performer and environmental advocate whose off-stage name is Wyn Wiley, completed a grueling 100-mile backpacking trek across California's coastal trails on December 5, 2025. The journey began at Point Reyes National Seashore last Sunday and wound south through Marin County, over Mount Tamalpais, culminating in a strut across the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco—all while dressed in full drag, complete with a red wig, long eyelashes, and platform heels. Gonia documented the challenge daily on Instagram , sharing photos and videos of trekking by day and camping by night, emphasizing resilience amid physical demands.

The idea for this "Million Dollar Backpacking Trip" originated seven years earlier, when friends dismissed Gonia's plan to hike in drag for environmental equity as "crazy." Gonia announced the latest iteration on December 1, 2025, via Instagram, setting a $1 million goal for eight nonprofits aimed at making outdoor spaces more accessible to marginalized groups, including LGBTQ+ individuals, BIPOC communities, and low-income youth. By the trek's end, donations reached $1,167,891 from approximately 34,700 contributors, with an average gift of $30, distributing $145,986 to each recipient organization.

The beneficiary organizations include Vámonos Outside, which engages Latinx communities in Central Oregon's outdoors; The Children’s Home Project, supporting outdoor programming for children in Honduras amid climate impacts; YMCA Camp Kitaki; Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps, connecting BIPOC, queer, and low-income young adults with trail work; Brave Trails, an LGBTQ+ leadership summer camp; Queer Outdoor Expedition; The Outdoorist Oath; and Intersectional Environmentalist Film Project. Gonia highlighted the timing's significance, noting cuts to outdoor DEI and climate funding by brands and government, making this "game-changing money" vital.

Gonia arrived in time for the "SAVE HER!" drag show on December 6, 2025, at The Warfield in San Francisco, a climate-focused extravaganza featuring drag kings, queens, and performers like Vera! and Seqouia, billed as addressing climate change solutions. Post-trek, Gonia posted on Instagram: “I hope I can be a little bit of proof to you that combining who you are and what you’re good at to fight for the change you want to see in the world works. And if people laugh in your face or doubt your crazy idea, you’re likely on the right path.” Supporters echoed this, with one stating on Instagram: “The ability to actually make moves like this in the current societal/political/cultural climate, is Earth shaking.”

Gonia, a 6'2" former Eagle Scout, has long blended drag with conservation, hosting Pride events in Yosemite National Park for employees and collaborating with non-binary park ranger Shannon ‘SJ’ Joslin, who faced dismissal after raising a 66-foot trans pride flag on El Capitan earlier in 2025. At November’s Out100 Gala, Gonia appeared draped in a 66-foot trans pride flag, reinforcing visibility for transgender people and queer communities in environmental spaces. Midway through the trek, Gonia addressed political challenges in a video aimed at President Donald Trump, contrasting efforts to fund DEI and climate work in outdoors amid opposition. This initiative underscores how LGBTQ+ performers like Gonia use their platforms to foster inclusivity in environmentalism, challenging norms where outdoor spaces have historically excluded queer and transgender people. By prioritizing BIPOC-led and queer-focused groups, the fundraiser promotes equity, proving drag's power in activism. Gonia's trek not only raised funds but inspired a movement blending identity, performance, and planetary care.