Growing up in Nebraska, Wyn Wiley (he/him) tried to hide his queer identity and some of his more feminine traits. First by playing small and then trying hard to overachieve, often to the detriment of mental health and well-being. After finding his identity as a drag queen specializing in all things outdoors, the transformation into Pattie Gonia (she/her) has come with both a lot of freedom and a lot of learning. In this episode questions about shifting privilege and sharing power are front and center. Now, Pattie refers to herself as a professional homosexual, working in front of the scenes and behind it to work with likeminded outdoor advocates to help co-create a better, more welcoming, more inclusive outdoors. This episode discusses how the queerness in nature brings her joy, how queer youth are bringing hope for the future, “honoring the try” when it comes to allyship and how to keep putting your best foot forward, even when you stumble, and how to do it as often as possible in fabulous heels.
Quote:
“When I look at nature, queerness is everywhere. The flowers in my backyard cannot pollinate each other without bees. So they're multi-species sexual. They literally have carriers that carry their pollen from flower to flower - that is so queer! The more time I spend out in nature, the more I'm reminded at just how natural I am. And that's really reassuring coming from a kid who was told that they were unnatural.”
- Pattie Gonia (she/her)
Time Stamps:
[4:30] How Wyn Wiley aka Pattiegonia grew up in Nebraska and playing outside
[8:00] How everything is drag, including the idea of Outdoor Drag, aesthetics, and performance
[16:00] The need for inclusivity in the outdoors and extended conversation in access
[19:00] Whiteness, Prilege and Perceived “heirarchies of oppression”
[23:00] “Honoring the Try” and Allyship
[24:30] Sustainable Activism & The Outdoorist Oath
[32:00] Cancel Culture, the brutality of social media & Pattie’s learnings and growth
[45:00] Community Agreements & Freedom the learn in Nature
[47:00] The Queerness of Nature
[50:00] The Pansy Dress and The Reclamation of a Slur
[53:00] Using Humor & Drag Culture
[1:00:00] LGBTQ2S+ Representation and Ongoing Homophobia
[1:06:00] What is giving them hope for the future
[1:14:00] The Debrief: The Approach Film & How Privilege Shifts Over Time & Space
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