Outdoor apparel brand Patagonia is suing a drag queen who sells merchandise under a name very similar to their company name, saying it causes customer confusion.

The lawsuit was filed in a California federal court against an individual named Wyn Wiley, who uses the stage name Pattie Gonia. The company argued that matters were further complicated by the fact that Wiley is also an environmental activist who promotes activities very similar to what the brand does, such as “motivational speaking services in support of environmental sustainability” and “organizing, arranging, and conducting trail and hiking events,” per Reuters.

“We want Pattie to have a long and successful career and make progress on issues that matter – but in a way that respects Patagonia’s intellectual property and ability to use our brand to sell products and advocate for the environment,” Patagonia said in a statement, the outlet noted.

The company stated in the lawsuit that Wiley agreed in 2022 not to use the name on any branded merchandise that may confuse consumers, but claims that promise has since been violated as the drag queen and LGBT activist has sold apparel with phrases like “Pattie Gonia Hiking Club.”

Attorneys representing the brand sent an email to Wiley last February, the lawsuit noted. “Patagonia remains supportive of your work but must insist that the Pattie Gonia persona not be commercialized and continue to adhere to the commitments made in 2022,” the email says.

“Unfortunately, these latest product sales force Patagonia’s hand and so I’m asking that you discontinue sales of t-shirts and stickers (or any product) using Pattie Gonia branding or designs substantially similar to Patagonia’s logos,” it said.

Wiley and his business partner said in reply that they “have never and will never reference the brand Patagonia’s logo or brand,” and claimed there was room for Patagonia and Pattie Gonia to “play in this box.”

Patagonia noted that the lawsuit was filed in response to Wiley trying to trademark “Pattie Gonia.” They are seeking $1 in damages and court orders to prevent Wiley from continuing to use the name.

“While Patagonia seeks only nominal monetary damages, the harm Pattie Gonia has caused and will cause to the Patagonia brand is irreparable and cannot be remedied by money damages or other remedies short of an injunction,” the lawsuit says.

While Patagonia has not had any professional relationship with Wiley, he has worked with other major brands in the past. In 2022, the non-profit organization Audubon Society promoted a video of Pattie Gonia dressed as an elaborate bird while performing an interpretive dance to promote climate change awareness, as The Daily Wire previously reported.

Then in 2023, the outdoor sports gear brand The North Face debuted an over-the-top “Summer of Pride” promotion on social media, which included Wiley performing as Pattie Gonia.

The Department of Justice is going “to the ends of the Earth” to press charges against former CNN host Don Lemon for his alleged role in storming a St. Paul, Minnesota, church with a group of anti-ICE activists Sunday, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said Friday.

A federal magistrate judge in Minnesota refused to sign off on charges against Lemon on Thursday but authorized the arrests of three activists who were tied to the mob. Still, the Justice Department is exploring ways to prosecute Lemon, Dhillon told conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly, calling the judge’s actions “frustrating.”

“We are going to do it because that is what is required for justice here, and from Sunday, when I first saw the video that Don Lemon himself put out about his conduct that day, it was clear to me that we have the predicates for pursuing FACE Act and conspiracy,” she said.

The FACE Act penalizes those who “by force or threat of force or by physical obstruction, intentionally injures, intimidates or interferes with or attempts to injure, intimidate or interfere with any person lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.”

“We have aggressively and very rapidly sought legal process,” Dhillon said.

“He is not out of legal jeopardy and he has lawyered up, he has a prominent lawyer and we’re gonna pursue this to the ends of the Earth,” she said.

🚨NEW: @HarmeetKDhillon tells @megynkelly DOJ will pursue Don Lemon charges “TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH”🚨

“He is NOT out of legal jeopardy.”@DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/W1XjXvlTjV

— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) January 23, 2026

Lemon responded to the Trump administration’s efforts to arrest him, saying Thursday, “Here I am.”

His attorney, Abbe Lowell, released a statement saying that the First Amendment protects Lemon since he joined the protest “as a reporter.”

“It was no different than what he has done for more than 30 years, reporting and covering newsworthy events on the ground and engaging in constitutionally protected activity as a journalist,” the statement read.

“Should the Department of Justice continue with a stunning and troubling effort to silence and punish a journalist for doing his job, Don will call out their latest attack on the rule of law and fight any charges vigorously and thoroughly in court,” it continued.

U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Monday that such protections don’t extend to “being part of the group that storms inside of a church.”

“Freedom of the press extends to a lot of different areas,” Blanche told Fox News’s Will Cain. “It does not extend to somebody just trespassing and being embedded with a group of rioters and being part of the group that storms inside of a church… the fact that Mr. Lemon thought that was a good idea, and then raced away from it saying it was ‘freedom of the press’ — well, we’ll see.”