We Are Pat

7/18/2026

Like many other minority members of society, the transgender community has been steadily gaining visibility and acceptance of late (despite the undeniable prejudices that stubbornly persist among the bigoted and uninformed). And, curiously, one of the ways in which this has come about is through an unexpected means – comedy. Many of the strides that have been made by the trans community in this area have emerged over the past decade, but this progress arguably arose from the popularity of a comedy icon that appeared on the scene more than 30 years ago – the geeky, socially awkward, sexually ambiguous character of Pat Riley (better known as just “Pat”) on Saturday Night Live. The brainchild of cast member Julia Sweeney, Pat quickly became a huge national sensation, a regular character routi