Drag artist, activist, and 2024 Out100 honoree Pattie Gonia has updated her stance on the 2024 presidential election. As Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential election and Kamala Harris became the Democratic candidate running against Donald Trump, Gonia issued a statement — shared on July 22 via social media — calling for Harris to "end genocide" in Gaza and "end ecocide" to earn her support (and that of many voters who feel similarly).
Related: Drag queen featured in anti-trans attack ad against Kamala Harris considers suing Trump campaign
On Sunday, Nov. 3, Gonia announced that she had updated her stance on who to vote for in this election through a new Instagram video:
"Dear Kamala Harris, you should be my dream candidate: Black, female, a Democrat. But instead, I feel like voting for you is like voting for the lesser of two evils. I voted for someone that can't even call out genocide, just so we can maybe defend climate change, and women's rights, and immigration… what is this?"
"So, yeah, I'm voting for you," the drag artist and activist added. "But let me rephrase that: what I'm voting for is not Trump. Americans deserve more than the choices were given under the broken two-party system, but the time to fix that is not now, because we cannot let the person that the Nazi party is endorsing into office."
Gonia concluded, "And Kamala Harris, should you win, you have a sh*t load of work to do. Come January, you can do better, and we hope you do."
More 2024 Election Coverage from The Advocate:
- Why The Advocate endorses Kamala Harris for president
- How pro-LGBTQ+ is Kamala Harris?
- Our 2024 LGBTQ+ voter guide
- Kamala Harris's 'first priority' as president
- Where does Donald Trump stand on LGBTQ+ rights?
- Kamala Harris: Our One-on-One With the Vice President
When reached for comment, Gonia explained her updated stance even further.
"Voting isn't a love letter, it's a chess move," Gonia tells Out. "American politics makes me so sad, but it's also been motivating. In America, if you want change, you have to be the change. Our politicians are not our saviors."
The drag star also brought up NDN Collective, an Indigenous-led organization that describes its mission as "creating sustainable solutions on Indigenous terms."
"NDN Collective, a group of indigenous activists, has a strategy for 'voting like a radical' that resonates with me. It goes as follows: 1. All candidates, once elected, become our opponents; 2. We vote for the ones we're best suited to fight; 3. We protect movements, our real sources of power."
Gonia included additional thoughts in the comments section under this new video. Besides highlighting the work from the NDN Collective (@ndncollective), Gonia wrote:
"P.S. at this point, if you vote 3rd party or protest vote, you're literally helping Tr*mp win."
"& at least Kamala will maybe protect my right to disagree with her."
"I have to believe that as the VP she can't say or do all she wants right now."
"Because y'all still seem to be very confused in the comments… I voted for Kamala."
Pattie Gonia via Instagram.
Instagram (@pattiegonia)
Earlier this year, Gonia's likeness was featured without her consent in an anti-transgender attack ad from Trump's presidential campaign, which was first reported by The Advocate in September 2024.
In October, Gonia addressed the unauthorized usage of her likeness in the Trump ad, revealing in a new Instagram video that she and her team were "exploring legal options" in order to "respond accordingly."
The Advocate reported on the story and confirmed with Gonia's spokesperson that they were indeed exploring legal action.
For more information about Pattie Gonia's work and upcoming events, you can visit her official website.
