Many of us have sought solace in nature over the past year, whether that’s simply noticing the sound of birdsong on our daily walks or sitting beneath an old oak tree in the local park. And it’s a trend that queer activist Pattie Gonia—who’s often found hiking in the mountains of Colorado in six-inch platform heels—hopes will continue as we begin to emerge from the pandemic.
“Spending time in nature brings so much joy to my life,” the drag queen, whose name is a pun on eco-brand Patagonia, tells Vogue via a Zoom call, taken outside, of course. “I don't think we were ever made as humans to sit inside boxes and to look at screens as much as we do.”
Considering the urgency of the climate crisis we’re facing, being connected to nature is also essential when it comes to environmental action, too. “We fight for what we love,” the activist explains. “If we can fall in love with nature more, we're going to be even more equipped to fight for it and to advocate for it.”
Unfortunately, the pandemic has highlighted how access to nature remains a privilege—with research showing that communities of colour in the US are three times more likely to live in nature-deprived areas compared to white communities, for example.
“From a queer perspective, I was taught the outdoors was a place for toxic masculinity and that I was actually unnatural,” says Pattie, who recently unveiled 14 fully funded scholarships for LGBTQ+ youth to attend a 14-day backpacking course exploring the canyons and wilderness of Utah. “It’s so important that we continue to eliminate barriers for marginalised people to get outdoors.”