Here is something to make you laugh.
A few weeks ago, I recieved a letter from my job informing me that it is time for my biyearly physical. I am a busdriver and am required to be certified by the Department of Transportation to maintain my CDL. Note that the date on my letter told me that it was to take place Thursday, July 22, 09. Also note that Thursday is actually the 23 and Wednesday is the 22.
So I go into work today 'underdressed' (wearing black knee hi's and satin panties) like I do most days. I walk over to dispatch and ask for my schedule board, but my supervisor tells me my run has been filled because I am due to go for my physical. I tell him that it isn't until tomorrow. I had the paper in my work sack and I look at it and it says Thursday. Then I noticed the discrepancy that the day/date didn't match up. I stood there starting to sweat.
My supervisor laughed and told me that I should enjoy a couple of hours paid to sit at a doctor's office. I normally would. He told me to jump in the van so they could take us (me and five other drivers) to the medical office; they were leaving right away. So along the way I kept thinking how I was screwed. How am I going to explain this to the nurses and doctors? When my coworkers find out it is going to spread like wildfire and I will be fired.
Once we get there I asked to use the bathroom (so I can take off the knee his) but was told no since I have to take a drug test. Great. All the other drivers are joking and talking about dumb passengers they had lately and all I could do was tremble and think of a way to lessen the impact. Then the nurse started calling us back one at a time. I got really lucky because I was the last driver called back into the examination room. All the other drivers moved on to other parts of the office with their nurses.
I walk in right behind her and she tells me to take off my shoes and stand on the scale. I acted like I didn't hear her and just stepped on the scale without taking my shoes off, but that didn't work. I had to take off my shoes. I briefly thought of trying to come up with some sort of story to explain why I was wearing women's knee hi's. The only thought that came to me was that it was laundry day and I was out of black socks. I realized that wouldn't work at all; especially since my toe nails were painted red. Then I thought of saying my daughter was playing around the other day painting the family's toenails and just didn't take it off yet. Then I thought of my shaved legs. Screwed
I don't have a problem with people knowing I shave my legs; I even wear dress shorts at work and nobody ever says anything. But when you combine shaved legs with knee his with painted toes and satin panties, there is no story or reason to come up with why I was wearing them.
So, I take off my boots and step on to the scale. The nurse just stands there and doesn't move staring at my feet. She then starts this high pitch wheezy laugh. And laughs. And laughs. And laughs. She composes herself long enough to write down my weight and then steps out of the room laughing even harder. I take this time to remove the knee his, but the damage has been done. I hear her telling another nurse what I was wearing and about my toes. An 'oh my god' and more laughter ensues. She comes back in and takes my blood pressure and pulse (which are both very high for some strange reason) and does the rest of her part of the exam (eye, ear, BAL). I am asked to put my boots back on and walk to the next room for my drug test. Lucky for me so far is that I don't see any of my coworkers anywhere.
I walk into the next area and the women start snickering at me. I am really irritated and finally made the comment, "Like you never seen that before." (I know ER nurses have to see stuff like that all the time) And they say no, they haven't. Well I give the pee test and walk into the doctors exam room. The nurse tells me to disrobe down to my underwear and put on a gown that she hands me.
Yeah, right. I am wearing ivory satin panties! Another thing to cause embarrasement. I go commando. I hide the panties in the pocket of my pants folded in the chair. So the doctor comes in with an already disgusted look on his face (Guess he was forwarned). Not even a 'hello' he tells me to stand and he does the cough thing, tells me to move my arms this way, that way, bend over, walk on my toes, etc. And then tells me that is all and to get dressed.
So I get dressed and with great reluctance I check out and walk in to the waiting room expecting my coworkers to start laughing at me, but they don't say a thing, even on the way back to work. Guess they didn't know because they definitely would have been having some fun at my expense.
So now here is where I am worried. I know that there are laws about confidentiality, but I don't know how they all apply. I don't hide myself at work. I wear pink stud earings and shave my legs. I grow out my fingernails. But I don't come out and declare I am a crossdresser at work. They have to tell my employer the results of my phsyical, but are they going to mention my crossdressing?
There is a law in Ohio passed last year that makes firing somebody who is transgender illegal. So if the nurses tells my bus company that I crossdress they can't fire me for being trans.
However; Ohio is an at-will employment state, which means they could let me go for any reason other than discrimnation. They could fire me because I ran one minute ahead of schedule three weeks ago or for some other BS reason.
Yes, I am Union, but I hope I don't have to count on them since I heard some Union officers making fun of crossdressers. Also to point out that there was a busdriver in Los Angeles who was fired for being a crossdresser and that was deemed justified, "for his own protection".
Guess I'm not wearing knee his to work anymore.
Amber