He said: "Ladies and gentlemen, things and its..." GRRRRR....Even were he joking, and he said later that he WAS, he should know better! Trans and noncis folx have a looong history of being dehumanized, so these type of remarks do NOT go over well!
And the irony is that he is gay himself. Typical.
I have a comedian friend who used to say, "Comedy's a big horse, and you'd better know what you're doing when you get on..." This is one of those jokes that should have given him pause... at least enough to run it by a friend or two to get their opinion. I have a feeling he would have been highly encouraged to to come up with another joke.