Fishnets and Fossil Fuels: Meet 3 Bay Area Climate-Conscious Drag Artists

“Drag accomplishes a paradox of embracing joy and fun and also serious issues of liberation, social justice and climate justice,” she said.

Eve Swallows, whose tongue-in-cheek name is inspired by the original biblical Eve, is part of a growing family of artists who are draggifying the climate movement by injecting environmental themes into their performances and helping to embolden a generation plagued by climate anxiety with humor, camp and queer community. The movement was once hyper-local, but now drag sensation Pattie Gonia is hosting a national climate-themed affair, SAVE HER! – An Environmental Drag Show. The drag artists aim to inspire audiences to embark on their climate activism journeys.

“My hope is that SAVE HER! can be a blueprint for anyone to use who they are as a person and their identity and what they’re good at to try to make a difference in this world,” Pattie Gonia said.

Oakland-based drag king VERA!, who co-leads the tour, noted that the number of climate-minded performers is now growing. They father 37 drag children, including King LOTUS BOY, whose drag centers on themes such as disability justice and sustainability.

“We can’t be out here just fighting for queer and trans lives if we don’t have a planet to stand on,” VERA! said. “I want queer and trans folks to thrive for generations.”

Creating a national climate drag movement

VERA! and Pattie Gonia’s drag anniversary points back to a queer hike on Angel Island in October 2022. Their union began when VERA! went into the splits on a log and licked a pine cone, prompting Pattie Gonia to ask them if they would perform in the forest.

“I did my makeup in the woods out of her makeup bag in five minutes, and we had the best time,” VERA! said. “Then our love was born.”

A few months later, VERA! invited Pattie Gonia to a show called Princess at Oasis in San Francisco, and the two decided to co-produce a climate-themed drag show. SAVE HER! came to life in April 2023 in the city by the bay with climate-related drag numbers and upcycled costumes.

The SAVE HER! show includes a third co-lead, Sequoia from Salt Lake City. In each show — from San Francisco to New York City — the trio scouts local talent and hosts a meet-and-greet before the event with environmental and queer organizations, such as Climate Action California and Oaklash.

“It creates a big environmental-loving family that we have now across the nation,” VERA! said.