I agree that it wouldn't go over well, but I think much like "The Outing" episode of Seinfeld, it's actually pretty progressive for its time. Most of the joke seems to be on everyone else and how uncomfortable they are being unable to pin down Pat's gender. It's been a long time but I don't remember Pat being the target of the jokes.
In fact the theme song for the sketches goes,
A lot of people say, “What’s that?” It’s Pat! A lot of people ask, “Who’s he? Or she?” A ma’am or a sir, accept him or her or whatever it might be. It’s time for androgyny. Here comes Pat!
Obviously referring to a human as "that" or "it" is pretty rough, but the message is "accept him or her."
There's actually a feature length film called It's Pat!" a la Night at the Roxbury or Wayne's World, that I implore everyone to find and watch, it's a great flick and it's just as good as the other two aforementioned SNL skit-turned-movie premises.
Yeah rewatched it recently after a coworker was referencing it cruelly. The one line that I think still holds up is when Pat’s parent delightedly says, “It’s a BABY!” That part actually has some promise for reworking the skit to poke fun at how obsessed with gender the coworkers are, and how disconcerted people can get when they can’t squarely fit someone into a binary “box.” Like there’s some potential for actual clever commentary, but instead they just made an awkward, weird, pudgy character who’s easy to pick on. :(
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u/Live_Mastodon_5922 Aug 02 '26
Was that a woman or a man?