Pattie Gonia: Patagonia is trying to 'bully' and 'erase' her with lawsuit

Pattie Gonia is making her voice heard after months of silence regarding the federal lawsuit filed against her by the clothing brand Patagonia. In a Wednesday post on social media, she shared a statement calling for the corporation to drop it.

"Patagonia told the media they're only suing me for $1," the drag artist wrote. "What they're actually trying to do is take away my name permanently and threaten me with more than $1M million in legal fees. This is not a brand conflict. This is a corporation trying to erase an activist. This is how corporations bully individuals who cannot match their resources."

Gonia continued, "Because this would take away not only my activism and my career, but also the livelihoods of the team I employ. This is a betrayal of Patagonia’s core mission. Because if they’re in business to save the home planet, why are they suing a climate activist?”

Gonia also uploaded a video to Instagram calling out the outdoor apparel company and wrote an open letter to the board of directors and trustees. "I have believed from the beginning that there is room for an agreement that protects your trademark while letting me keep my name and my work," the letter read. "I believe that still today."

She argued in her letter that this lawsuit is a distraction from the shared goal she and the company have: saving the planet through activism. "We can’t afford to waste time and money fighting among ourselves," she wrote. "Patagonia says it’s in business to save our home planet. And Mr. Chouinard, you said, 'You are what you do, not what you say you are.'" (Yvon Chouinard is Patagonia's founder.)

Gonia ended the open letter by stating that this lawsuit serves no real purpose and distracts from the real issue at hand: working together against climate change. She added, "With respect and hope, I ask you to intervene and drop this lawsuit today."

In January, Patagonia filed a complaint in a California federal court against Gonia over trademark infringement, arguing that the move was "to protect the brand we have spent the last 50 years building," according to a press release. The clothing brand claimed that the drag queen's name, a play on its own, could be confusing to consumers.

In the complaint, the brand also argued that the drag queen, who uses her name on clothing and other commercial ventures, directly competes with its products and the "advocacy work" it participates in. The company said it was seeking $1 in damages.

"We’re not against art, creative expression, or commentary about our brand," Patagonia wrote in a statement at the time.

Immediately following the lawsuit, the drag queen and her business partner said that they have "never and will never reference the brand Patagonia’s logo or brand."