It's Pat: The Movie (1994)

Last Halloween, I went to costume party at a local bar. I decided to forego a costume and just dress up in a way that made me feel good. I wore my favorite button-up shirt, put gel in my hair, added my favorite accessories. As I looked in the mirror I felt confident in my chubby, queer body - I felt handsome.

That night, someone very earnestly came up to me and said that I had "the best Pat costume" they'd ever seen. They were, of course, talking about the character of Pat, from the 90s SNL bits "It's Pat". The person who told me this was trying to give me a compliment. They didn't realize that it could be misconstrued as an insult, that the queer community has a complicated relationship with Pat's depiction of androgyny. That's part of why I think this documentary, We Are Pat (2025), is so important.