Standing out

This morning, I went to get a bunch of lab tests done at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (for a nephrologist consultation tomorrow) and discovered that a lot of the phlebotomists recognized me, greeted me enthusiastically by name, and asked about my life since they had last seen me. The thing is, I’m really visible (well, I also remember them, and facts about their lives too; they’re interesting people, and the question “How did you end up working here?”, while they are drawing my blood, elicits some extraordinary stories). Almost always wearing stunningly gay clothes (today, rainbow-flag track shorts and a honking big rainbow-colored DEI t-shirt). (#1) The DEI shirt The PAMF staff find these clothes cheering, which is indeed one of the things they’re for. This makes me happy. Then, from my 8/3/26 posting “Two notes on gay moral purpose”, about the remarkable Steven Levine, posting about communal care for participants in Gay Pride events: SL breaks out in a combination of, on the one…