this post was submitted on 14 Feb 2024
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It's Pat!
I get your reference, but... those skits get kinda a mixed reaction in the trans community. They're pretty problematic but not awful by the standards of the time, but despite whatever the joke actually is, Pat, and their equally androgynous partner, are depicted as happy. So have my non-vote, lol.
If Pat is problematic, how is treating Link the same way not a problem? Especially since we know Link's full story and that he is not trans in any way? At least Pat was progressive enough to show two people of unclear gender and sexuality in a happy monogamous relationship even though everyone around them was treating them like a joke. That was pioneering for the time, and is part of the reason why trans and other non-cis people are becoming mainstream today as the Gen X and early Millennials like me grew up with that and are now gaining positions of influence.
Link on the other hand is definitely male, and has never been shown to display anything but male behaviors despite looking slightly androgynous. But that's more because he also belongs to an Elf-like race that are typically dipicted more androgynous. Then again, he's also a video game character and not a real person, so he likely has no opinion about how he's depicted. So I guess it's ok to make jokes about him being trans? That's probably more of a question for actual trans people.