Meta: Concerning "Susan Stanton's Lonely Transformation"

[Shana A]

http://www.bilerico.com/2008/01/largo_was_right_to_fire_stanton.php

"Largo Was Right To Fire Stanton
Filed by: Marti Abernathey
January 3, 2008 10:13 AM

Last night I was thinking about what Susan Stanton said in this interview. If you follow her line of reasoning about transgender inclusion in the Employment Non Discrimination Act, the city of Largo did the right thing in firing Stanton.

After all, "Most Americans aren't ready for us yet, transgender people need to be able to prove they're still viable workers -- especially in the mainstream."

[Sheila]

I don't think this person should have wrote that piece. Susan was fired cause she was transexual. To me that is the same as saying the reason you were fired is that you changed your hair color to blonde and you know what they say about blondes? It is not a valid reason. I'm a little ticked at what she has said in interviews, but would like to know why she said it? Not trying to stick up for her, but when you first come out, there are a lot of emotions flying around. Not only have you started a hormone that makes the emotions increase, but you have your family and friends that are jumping ship. You don't know where you are going and that is why you need a therapist to guide you. I think she made some mistakes, like we all do, and she was in the public eye. She should have known better to say the things she said, but what was behind it all?
Sheila

[IsabelleStPierre]

I don't think this person should have wrote that piece. Susan was fired cause she was transexual. To me that is the same as saying the reason you were fired is that you changed your hair color to blonde and you know what they say about blondes? It is not a valid reason. I'm a little ticked at what she has said in interviews, but would like to know why she said it? Not trying to stick up for her, but when you first come out, there are a lot of emotions flying around. Not only have you started a hormone that makes the emotions increase, but you have your family and friends that are jumping ship. You don't know where you are going and that is why you need a therapist to guide you. I think she made some mistakes, like we all do, and she was in the public eye. She should have known better to say the things she said, but what was behind it all?
Sheila

Hu???

My boss told me that I'm basically the same person he hired...that my changing genders doesn't change my work experience and expertise...so I have had some real problems with the comments that Susan Stanton has been making these days...I've been working with local non-profits to try to improve our legal standing in my home state and then you have someone like that make comments and it undoes all the work people like me have been trying to make...it's most frustrating at times...and because of how public her transition has been and the problems she's had...she gets press attention...I'm angry to be honest...

Oh well...

Peace and love,
Isabelle St-Pierre

[Sheila]

Be happy you don't get the media attention. I will wait to see how this all comes down. My first inclination is to damn her. Then I realized that I was in the limelight locally for a while. I was misquoted, taken out of context and misrepresented. I realize she should be use to the media and should know how to talk to the media, which I didn't know, but she was just starting her transitioning, that means emotions can fly and you may not know how to handle all of the attention.
Sheila

[Shana A]

http://transgroupblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/please-susan-step-out-of-spotlight.html

"Thursday, January 03, 2008
Please Susan, step out of the spotlight

I have to say I'm disturbed by the latest profile on Susan Stanton. First off I'm really sorry that she's lonely. That sucks no matter what. And for someone who undoubtedly is ambitious (you don't get to be a city manager if you're not) applying for 100 jobs and not getting one of them has got to be crushing. And facing a massive loss of male privilege is a tough thing. But I've far more disturbed by this:"

[Hypatia]

Excellent advice, written from a place of sincere constructive criticism. I hope Ms. Stanton reads it and gets it!

[NicholeW.]

Well, have any feeling you want about Marti. I've emailed with her off and on for a number of years. Marti has put her time in the trenches of T and LTBG rights for quite some time. Not simply as a blogger, but as a rather public personality in her area.

I think she has earned her right to make a statement about a public figure who is talking about an entire class of people like herself, and like Marti.

I have found Marti to be very forthright and in this instance she makes perfect sense: all she said was that she agrees with Susan, that Susan hasn't yet 'proven' herself.

I just don't see a problem in that, Sheila.

I think all of us who have experienced the early stages of HRT know the volatility that can be linked with that. I learned that that is a really good time to try to keep my mouth shut when "there are a lot of emotions flying around." Of course, I never had to do that when a member of the press was interviewing me.

Nichole

[Julie Marie]

Ms. Stanton's comments regarding men in dresses and transgender people need to prove themselves shows she's clueless about our reality.  You'd think she would be supporting trans inclusive ENDA and protection against discrimination after reading she's applied to 100 different businesses without even a call.  Instead what she did was set us back.  And I sent her an email telling her just that and many more things. 

Yes, Susan Stanton needs to stop speaking as a transgender representative and step out of the limelight.  With friends like her...

Julie

[Keira]

It is ironic when so many of us DO HAVE JOBS, that she would rail about the "men in dresses" when undoubtably, part of the issue here is people consider her unfairly a "man in a dress".

Its her high profile that makes her unemployable, not just being a TS.
There's plenty of TS in high enough positions. Businesses DON't NEED THIS ATTENTION
and until she disapeers in the night finding a job will be hard.

[IsabelleStPierre]

With help like she's been giving us...I personally don't think we can really afford much more of her help or using her as a spokes person for the trans community. After having applied to over 100 jobs and not getting one of them...you would think that she just might realize that it's because she's trans...oh well...

Peace and love,
Isabelle St-Pierre

[Shana A]

http://www.bilerico.com/2008/01/susan_stanton_responds.php#more

"Susan Stanton Responds
Filed by: Rebecca Juro
January 4, 2008 7:10 PM

On a page on her personal website titled "Message to TS Community", Susan Stanton, the transwoman who came under fire from the transgender community for comments that were published in a story on her in the St. Petersburg Times that were seen as unsupportive and even offensive to transgender community members and our interests by many, including myself and Marti Abernathey, has released a statement stating her views on the matter.

In the statement, Stanton describes herself as "shocked and disappointed" in the article and the way it portrayed her publicly, expressing her belief that "anyone reading this article would think I am a conceited, arrogant, depressed, suicidal victim in need of immediate medical intervention.". Stanton complains that in recent days she has received hundreds of emails from transpeople upset with the quotes attributed to her and concludes her statement with:"

[Shana A]

http://www.susanastanton.com/What_America_Said_and_Saw.html

"Concerning "Susan Stanton's Lonely Transformation"

Like many people in the transgender community, I was shocked and disappointed when I read the recent article in the St. Petersburg Times entitled "Susan Stanton's Lonely Transformation".   The St. Petersburg Times is an excellent newspaper and I consider Ms. Lane DeGregory to be a gifted writer and a personal friend so I am not sure how my words could have been so terribly misunderstood.  Since the publication of this story, I have received hundreds of email messages from people all over the nation expressing their disappointment and anger for the hurtful and insensitive statements that have been attributed to me.  Simply stated, this article is not an accurate representation of my beliefs concerning the transgender community or my experiences as a transgender person. "

[Keira]

the bad badly quoted thing is VERY VERY OLD, its not often credible.
Any reporter worth is salt will not invent quotes.

[tinkerbell]

Has anybody wondered if she wants to be lonely?  Perhaps she is realizing that she doesn't want to live her life as a TS, but as what she really is, a woman.
I am saddened to read some of the comments here and on the other thread.  To be brutally honest, she doesn't have any obligations with anyone.  Her choice to be out and proud or stealth is merely that, a choice without any obligations or expectations.

tink

[Hypatia]

I wonder if her spin-doctoring will be heard above the loud clamor.

[Keira]

Tink,
I think the criticism here is fair when you give such a bad interview.
Didn't she have experience with media relations as a city manager.
She acted like an amateur with the reporter. She shouldn't had know
what would be the slant of the articles. I'm into PR and journalism right now.

[Julie Marie]

Has anybody wondered if she wants to be lonely?  Perhaps she is realizing that she doesn't want to live her life as a TS, but as what she really is, a woman.
I am saddened to read some of the comments here and on the other thread.  To be brutally honest, she doesn't have any obligations with anyone.  Her choice to be out and proud or stealth is merely that, a choice without any obligations or expectations.

tink

Tink, she's familiar with public life and knows when something is damaging and when it's not.  She also knows the media likes to put spin on things so you have to be very careful what you say.  On her website she posted a letter to the TG community.  In it she said the newspaper article did not properly represent what she said.  Later in the letter she says, "Unfortunately, anyone reading this article would think I am a conceited, arrogant, depressed, suicidal victim in need of immediate medical intervention.  I regret that the Times conveyed this very unflattering portrait and the damage it has done to my personal and professional reputation."  She never mentions regretting the damage it did to our community. 

Her letter tells of a very self centered person, not the type of person I want speaking for me.  And no matter how you cut it, every word that comes out of her mouth is taken as being representative of our entire community, if for no other reason than there's not enough people out there speaking on our behalf.  For that reason alone she has the responsibility to speak positively about our community and promote anti-discrimination.  It's the least she can do.

Julie

[tekla]

She should have learned a mafia don lesson: "no comment."  As they say in show biz, 'any coverage is good coverage' the reverse is often true in other walks of life, where 'no coverage is the best coverage.'