I've never seen the movie It's Pat, but did enjoy the sketches.
I met a Pat once at a restaurant where I worked. The supervisor told me to ask "Shannon" for help if I was confused on my first day, and I nodded that I would. And then I met Shannon... who was thickly built, had a shadow of a mustache, small "might-be-breasts," short hair which could be that of a boy or girl, and a deep but occasionally feminine voice. I have heard the name Shannon for both males and females,
All day at work, I wondered about its gender. I was asked, "Did Shannon help you?" and I would avoid the pronouns he or she and reply, "Yes, Shannon did help me." It became ridiculous. I sought clues all day.... and none gave me an answer. Sometimes, just like on SNL, I would hear Shannon say something and would think, "Oh! So it is a man!" only to be contradicted a few moments later.
Finally, just before the end of my shift, I asked another co-worker some loaded questions about Shannon. And still, I didn't get an answer. It turned out that the person I asked knew what I was up to, and was just messing with me. Finally she admitted that Shannon was a female, and that she liked to look like a boy. She wore tight sports bras to bind her breasts, and had cut her hair short to appear male, and didn't bother to remove her light mustache.
That was the only Pat I have ever met, and she was very nice. Even after finding out that she was a girl, on any given day, I still could not have been able to tell.
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