As the month of June draws nearer, woke companies are primed to release more Pride gear, for what is sure to be 30 exhausting days of rainbows, flags, and drag queens.
The North Face clothing has partnered for the second consecutive year with drag queen “Pattie Gonia.” The drag queen, whose real name is Wyn Wiley, will again headline North Face’s “Summer of Pride.”
The North Face’s new 2023 ad opens with Wiley dressed in rainbow branded gear. He also has a full mustache to complement his exaggerated hair and makeup.
Wiley is also wearing a dress, designed by Reilly Fitzsimmons, that is not available on the site.
Can anyone explain how the heck this ad helps @thenorthface sell outdoor clothes? They’re screaming at you to not buy their products if this violates your values. Accept their challenge. The North Face is owned by the VF Corporation which also owns Supreme, Vans, and Timberland. pic.twitter.com/9RwVljsa9N
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) May 24, 2023
In the advertisement, Wiley introduces himself as a “real life homosexual.” The ad is also heavy on LGBTQ+ buzz words and phrases, such as, “COME OUT… in nature with us!”
This is similar to last year’s ad where Wiley says, “Nature lets you be who you are…” He then snaps his fingers and the camera reveals his drag persona Pattie Gonia, who whispers, “…even gay.”
During this year’s advert, Wiley states that the “Summer of Pride” Tour has everything one could want including “hiking, community, art, lesbians, lesbians making art.”
A similar sentiment is expressed by North Face on their website.
In an Instagram post, Wiley writes that, “Because we believe that exploration can take many shapes and forms, we’re making these events so much more than just a hiking tour. We’ll have workshops, panels and activities for all individuals who love to be outside.”
Wiley, whose Pattie Gonia persona goes by they/she/he pronouns, says that in 2022 “we gay sashayed across the nation and celebrated Pride, across the nation with hundreds of you, across the nation. This year we’re back, back, back again with two new stops.”
The 2023 “Summer of Pride” Tour will add two new stops that include Atlanta, Georgia and Salt Lake City, Utah.
The previous year’s hiking tour reached Columbus, Ohio, Denver, Colorado, Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco, California.
The Salt Lake City branch of the tour is currently sold out, with the site offering a waitlist where they say registerees will be notified if a spot opens up.
The website promises, “Hikes, speakers, community, drag and so much more (food, friends and swag—just to name a few)”.
Wiley closes the ad telling people to come out and join the “LGHGTV community,” a play on LGBTQ & the HGTV network.
The North Face website has an entire section devoted to their 2023 Pride collection dubbed “Out In Nature”.
The collection includes many rainbow-colored tie-dye options from bucket hats, kids’ sun-shields, to your run-of-the-mill shirts and shorts.
“Each one of us is a reflection of the glittery, messy, beautiful diversity that is Mother Earth. This Pride, we celebrate the transformational power of finding our runway in the outdoors together,” the website reads.
“We roar. We heal. We become. Mother Nature guides us to where we need to be–and we dress up to honor her.”
Corporations have fully signed onto the celebration of Pride Month in a quest to hit a rating of 100 percent on their CEI scores, which is led by the largest LGBTQ+ lobbying group, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).
The Publica reported in April on the HRC having received millions from George Soros’ Open Society Foundation among others.
The organization allegedly issues “report cards” for America’s biggest corporations through the CEI. It then awards or subtracts “points” when companies properly adhere to HRC’s “rating criteria.”
Businesses that earn 100 total points are given the title “Best Place To Work For LGBTQ Equality.”
The CEI system is part of ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance), which involves the top three investment firms, BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street Bank.
