"Transsexual Official Faces Firing in Florida" (3/1/07 p. A14)

What could a city manager, a transsexual and ethics all have in common? Steven B. Stanton.

Mr. Stanton has been the city manager of Largo, Florida for the past 14 years. Obviously, in that amount of time, he has proven himself to be a success for the city and a trustworthy individual. However, after his plans to have a sex change surgery surfaced publically, he is now facing removal from the position.

Is that anywhere near ethical? Mr. Stanton cared enough about who he was and what makes him truly happy to come forth with this life altering decision. He is not changing the person he is on the inside, so why would that take away from his knowledge and experience of the city manager?

The Times writes that the Largo City Commission placed Stanton on leave after a 5 to 2 vote to start the firing process. This isn't ethical, sensible, or professional. It is 5 people deciding the fate of an individual simply because they choose not to agree with the decisions he has made about his own body.

Many Largo residents agree that Stanton should be fired, a notion first introduced by Commissioner Mary G. Black.

According to the Times and The Associated Press, Ms. Black stated, "I do not feel he has the integrity, nor the trust, nor the respect, nor the confidence to continue as the city manager." In my opinion, this statement is everything but true. Why does a person's integrity, trust, respect and confidence get taken away because they choose to do something with their life that betters them? It doesn't. If anything, Mr. Stanton is not comfortable in his current body, therefore, has the confidence to make a change that will improve his lifestyle. The ethics behind this issue just don't add up.

There are some people that agree with Mr. Stanton and my viewpoints. The Mayor of Largo, Pat Gerard (a woman) stated, "He is a great city manager and would have continued to be a great city manager, and we didn't give him that opportunity." Well said. It would be interesting to see how many men are for removing him as opposed to how many are in favor. I'm guessing that scale isn't very equal.

Mr. Stanton has the right to request a public hearing, which I hope he takes advantage of. He shouldn't be fired from a position he has held so long simply based on who he is and what he wishes to do with his life. People have different viewpoints, its part of today's society. However, when it comes to people's careers and green light ethics, Mr. Stanton may loose the respect of people against him, but not his career.

Article by: TERRY AGNAYO