"It" People Are Everywhere

I am well aware that there are those confused souls among us who turn against themselves and opt for self-mutilation in the name of gender identity. To them I say go ahead -- lop off your breasts, grow a beard or don't, take hormones to be more girly or manly, that's your business and in a free country, your prerogative. 

Luckily for me, none of those people are in my immediate circle so I can choose to look away. But this morning I had no such option when I went to my doctor's office for some lab work and the technician I was assigned was one of the "It" people.

It had long, flowing hair like Cher, only curly. It had a full beard like Methuselah, only black. It sported bright red nail polish on obviously manicured nails, and wore some sort of skirt-like garment. Its bare, yet hairy, arms were dotted with tattoos and its earlobes were laden with piercings. It was a "they," coming at me to draw my blood.

Being as old as I am, I can remember when such tasks were performed by nurses in crisp white uniforms who looked like they had showered before work, unlike this guy/gal today. I was almost repulsed, but not quite. Still, I stuck out my arm and gritted my teeth and then went on my way, wondering how he/she/it had ever been hired for that kind of work when I couldn't get hired as a sales clerk at LLBean because they said my personality was too strong for their client base.