That’s awesome that you responded and good that he apologized. My son pretends he doesn’t hear that kind of stuff and I think it’s GREAT that you instantly defended yourself- unfortunately this stuff will probably always happen and I want to give people the benefit of the doubt that they say these comments or do their snickering without thinking - like a reflex. Not sure if this would help with the dehumanizing part but when you get one of the people who spoke without thinking like it seems this person did- try and spin it to a different topic after the first apologies and if you are really confident (like it seems you might be naturally) - turn these connections into more than just this horrible moment. You never know what kind of friends or relationships you could make if you put yourself out there one more step. Regardless- you should be proud of yourself. 😀