Header image of Pattie Gonia by Hannah Shea Photo
As June rolls around, here at Artisans & Adventurers we are getting ready for one of our favourite events of the year - Pride! Pride is probably going to look a little different again this year, but we think it is really important to still celebrate and support our local LGBTQ+ communities and organisations. Pride, also known as ‘Gay Pride’ or ‘LGBT Pride’ has existed in it’s modern form since 1970, when a parade commemorating a year since the infamous Stonewall Riots took place in the USA, and later the first official UK Pride rally was held in London on 1 July 1972. This month we are celebrating Pride Month 2021 by highlighting some of our favourite LGBTQ+ social media influencers who are fighting for a more sustainable, eco-conscious future. LGBTQ+ people are often excluded from environmental conversations and spaces despite being at the forefront of many key environmental breakthroughs and improvements. We believe inclusivity is key to a more positive, sustainable and happy future so we wanted to amplify the voices of these LGBTQ+ activists who are all doing fantastic work to improve our planet.
Image via TheWholeCarrot
@queerbrownvegan
Isaias Hernandez is the creator of Queer Brown Vegan, where he makes accessible environmental educational content based around veganism, zero-waste living, and environmental issues. He creates simple, easy to follow content on complex topics, making conversations around sustainability easy to tackle while raising issues surrounding diversity and inclusivity within the eco-conscious movement. Speaking to Vogue, Hernandez said “I created Queer Brown Vegan after realising that environmental education should be accessible for everyone. Through my lived experiences facing environmental injustices, and having a degree in environmental science, I wanted to create a safe space for people to talk about the planetary crisis.”
Follow Isaias: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
Image via OneDaydream
@jessi_and_millie
Jessi and Millie were the faces of Australia’s marriage equality YES campaign in 2017 and 2 years later realised their dream of getting married. They share their IVF journey honestly and openly with their followers, including all the complexity and difficulties involved. The couple live an eco-conscious lifestyle and use their voices to advocate and empower individuals to fight for positive change. They educate their followers on environmental issues as well as share eco alternatives to everyday products.
Follow Jessi and Millie: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube
Image via VoyageLA
@owinpierson
Owin is a content creator across multiple platforms with an undergraduate background in Psychology and Education. He has been making content for 5 years with a focus on bringing more positivity and change in the mental health and LGBT spaces. He is currently working on a sustainability fellowship with modeDurable, a nonprofit sustainability organisation, where he’s creating something to help with the fast fashion and overall environmental issues society is facing. Owin often champions sustainable brands and shares tips on how to shop more sustainably.
Follow Owin: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube
Image via @pattiegonia on Instagram
@pattiegonia
Pattie Gonia is a drag persona for Wyn Wiley, a 26-year-old Nebraska-based photographer who created the account in 2018. They are an environmentalist, building community around climate issues within the LGBT community and beyond. “I came at it from a very comedic angle at first, but what I’m realising is that it’s really important to a lot of people, and the outdoors are really important to a lot of people” says Wiley on beginning the account. Wyn says to EuroNewsGreen "Pattie is the utmost representation of me and how I care for the planet - whether it’s wearing a wig made of 100 pieces of trash, or normalising outfit repeating, or only having 4 wigs as opposed to 40. Drag is a space with so much stuff in it, so I say to myself, ‘how can I fight against that consumerism?’" Their uplifting, entertaining posts bring a fresh, fun, and inclusive perspective to the outdoors community.
Follow Pattie Gonia: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube
We hope you have found a few new people to follow! We encourage everyone to diversify the types of people they follow on social media and enrich their day-to-day lives with worthwhile, considered content. If you'd like to read about some of our favourite LGBTQ+ Icons, you can read our previous journal post here. You can also read an interview we did last year with lesbian parents Lucy & Stacey here.