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  • 4 hours ago
Pat, the evasive, androgynous character made famous on Saturday Night Live by Julia Sweeney, was an inescapable figure in 1990s pop culture. As a child, filmmaker Ro Haber became obsessed with Pat—a character whose popularity stemmed from making others uncomfortable by defying gender norms. Decades later, and now an out trans filmmaker, Haber still grapples with Pat’s legacy. Thirty-five years after It’s Pat first aired, Haber assembles a group of queer and trans comedians, writers, and even Sweeney herself to revisit the character. Through conversation and critique, they aim not to erase Pat but to reframe them, transforming a symbol of ridicule into one of reflection and empowerment.
Transcript
00:01I think if I had told my 10-year-old self that 30 years later I'd be making a movie
00:07about Pat, I wouldn't have believed it.
00:14But well, here I am, surrounded by Pats.
00:23My obsession with Pat began in the early 90s on SNL.
00:30I'm Pat.
00:32Pat was nerdy, chunky, wore a western shirt and was indecipherable as a man or a woman.
00:38Pat, did you hear about our Halloween party?
00:40Oh, yeah. The guys are bringing liquor and the women will be bringing hors d'oeuvres.
00:44So you'll be bringing...
00:46Pepto-Bismol!
00:49And everyone was always trying to find out Pat's gender.
00:53That was the sketch. The whole sketch.
00:56And it lasted for over four years on Saturday Night Live and through one major motion picture.
01:02A draft of which was even written by Quentin Tarantino.
01:06My middle school friend and I used to watch It's Pat the movie over and over and over again.
01:12It was hilarious.
01:14I love to stroke your pussy cat.
01:16I know.
01:18Muffy likes it too.
01:20When the film flopped, Pat was left to rot in the annals of history.
01:29But not for me.
01:31Pat lingered.
01:33Somewhere in the back of my mind.
01:35Dormant.
01:36Until 20 years and a gender journey later.
01:39When I was out one night with friends.
01:43I went home and rewatched It's Pat the movie.
01:46I still laughed my ass off.
01:49But this time, I saw something totally different.
01:53I saw me.
01:57I saw.
01:59I saw me.
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