According to the publication "Zeek: A Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture" and "Value War: Public Opinion and the Politics of Gay Rights", it was the controversial lesbian outing of the main character (played by Ellen DeGeneres) in the sitcom "Ellen" in 1997 that paved the way for Patty's coming-out in this episode, as well as for many other gay characters on other television shows. In his book "Queers in American Popular Culture", Jim Elledge noted that unlike many episodes of "The Simpsons" that go through a situation and then everything returns to normal during the ending, this one does not. He commented that the staff of the show could have made Patty heterosexual again at the end of the episode and leave it how it was before by having her marry Leslie. Instead, they ended it in a way that could potentially be experienced as distasteful to the heteronormative audience by having Patty exclaim "Hell no! I like girls!" to Leslie's marriage proposal. The author also noted that it is possible the "Simpsons" staff chose Patty to come out as gay instead of a male character because lesbians were "traditionally considered more acceptable" on television. She did, however, not "adhere to the eroticized male lesbian fantasy or fit into the loveable, asexual guise of the comedy lesbian" that had previously been seen on shows such as "Ellen". Instead, Patty is "rude, crude, and not ashamed of declaring her sexual preferences", and this could make her unpalatable to some viewers, according to Elledge.