“I don’t know how to explain to you that people are people”is where I always end up.

Yeah, "trans people" are this year's boogeymen, because most people have no idea what to make of them. Jodi Picoult wrote the most wonderful book (Mad Honey) that featured a trans character. Showed "transgender" as a personal issue that shouldn't be a problem, but then MAGA types turned it into one.