‘Nature lets you be who you are,’ says environmentalist drag queen Pattie Gonia. In a snap, the queen magically dons full regalia. ‘Even gay,’ she whispers with a wink.
Today, The North Face and drag queen Pattie Gonia announce a partnership to celebrate the “Summer of Pride.” The series of events seeks to bring people together, celebrate LGBTQ+ communities, and connect with nature.
The North Face also plans to build on its multiyear partnership with Brave Trails, an organization and residential summer camp for LGBTQ+ youth. Through the Summer of Pride, the brand will donate $100,000 to the group that gears its down-to-earth program toward leadership and skills development.
Finally, The North Face launched a tight collection based around the pride flag in conjunction with the celebration and its support for Brave Trails.
Summer of Pride Details
The events will take place in four cities in the coming months. Portland, Ore., Denver, Columbus, Ohio, and San Francisco, are on the schedule. Pattie Gonia will emcee the show (possibly without stealing it, though we don’t see what could upstage her).
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At each location, she and the brand will look to connect attendees with The North Face grant partners and focus on “supporting local engagement.”
Grant partners include The North Face Explore Fund winners, including trans climber Erin Parisi, environmental science enthusiast and forager Alexis Nicole Nelson, and more. The partners designed the “choose your own adventure” event structure to give every guest the chance to celebrate the outdoors in their way.
“The LGBTQ+ community needs to be everywhere — especially the outdoors. We’re here, we’re Queer, and we’re enjoying the outdoors,” Pattie Gonia said.
“I’m thrilled to partner with The North Face and other community leaders to create a safe space to celebrate the great outdoors with the Queer community. This collaboration helps expand exploration for everyone, especially the LGBTQ+ community who are vastly underrepresented in the outdoor community.”
Following the local theme, The North Face partnered with local gear shops along the way like Evo Denver.
Punch your tickets to the Summer of Pride through The North Face events page. Dates below:
- Portland: June 11
- Denver: August 6
- Columbus: July 30
- San Francisco: November 5
