A drag queen featured in a Trump campaign ad has suggested she may take legal action after refusing to allow the campaign to use her video.
The ad, released last week, highlights Vice President Kamala Harris’ support for transgender people and shows her saying in her 2020 campaign that she will support access to gender-affirming care for transgender inmates. The ad also shows Harris posing with drag queen Pattie Gonia at the 2022 Pride month event.
“Perfection is for them, for them” says a narratorrefers to gender neutral pronouns used by non-binary people. “President Trump is for you.”
On Thursday, Pattie Gonia, whose real name is Wyn Wiley, posted a video on her social media accounts denouncing the ad.
“Seriously, this is their best?” Wiley said while dressed as the Statue of Liberty. “No, the Trump campaign did not have permission to use my name or likeness. Yes, we are considering our legal options, and yes, I will do what queer people always do, turn our pain into a positive.”
Wiley, who has more than 690,000 followers on Instagram and 460,000 on TikTok, later directed her social media followers to fundraise online for two LGBTQ advocacy groups, Point of Pride and Trans Lifeline. It is unclear what form of legal action will be available in this case or what legal action he will take. Wiley NBC News declined a request for comment.
A representative for the Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Harris’ position on transgender inmates being able to receive gender-affirming care appeared During a debate with former President Donald Trump last month. The former president said Harris “wants to perform transgender surgeries on illegal aliens in prison,” a claim Harris did not address during the debate.
While Harris was the attorney general of California, he tried to prevent it A trans woman who underwent gender reassignment surgery in prison in 2015. Four years later, Harris, then a U.S. senator, said trans prisoners needed gender-affirming care. American Civil Liberties Union survey it “supports policies that ensure that federal prisoners and inmates can receive necessary medical care for gender transition, including surgical care, while incarcerated or incarcerated.” Harris’s position on the issue today is unclear.
The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Wiley captioned the video, encouraging viewers to vote and “make America gay again,” echoing the former president’s campaign slogan.
“You’re fired!” Wiley played an audio recording of the former president’s famous speech.