Julia Sweeney has come a long way since the days of “Pat,” the ambiguously gendered character she played on Saturday Night Live. Her personal tales of overcoming cancer, denouncing God, and adopting a child from China have been the substance of her material since 1995. Her recent TED talk, however, brought Pat back to mind. Sweeney is totally adorable, so the video is worth watching in and of itself. [video:
425×344] Yet I couldn’t help but wonder what this would look like as a Pat bit. Then I got to thinking, surely this bit already existed. So I Googled. And Googled some more. Could not find a single original Pat skit from SNL. Is Sweeney some kind of media genius who’s managed to scourge the Internets of these likenesses? And how have those skits aged? Are they totally offensive to the transgendered community? So I’m reaching out to you, please. Anyone out there have access to vintage Pat? C’mon, it’s a holiday Friday. Let your fingers do some walking…
