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Largo has minimum requirements for employment. One must have an established standard of relevant schooling/experience to step into certain positions commanding a high level of specialized knowledge and supervisory acumen. Regardless of whether it "worked" for the city, it was what Stanton wanted.

The Times may be perfectly capable of conducting a poll on the public's opinions regarding Stanton's removal from his position. However, unless these individuals live in Largo, or more importantly, really have had the experience of working with him, their limited viewpoint is based solely on the perception the firing is about gay/lesbian/transgender/religious repression and small-minded discrimination.

Well... had they not liked him, they should have fired him before this all came out. New management often will clean house and get rid of employees.  Often this will happen without knowing an employee or have any understanding of their value to the organization.  The new manager wants his own people in there and that is that.  It happens all the time in business. I have personal experience on both ends of that stick.

You can't fire him over this "new revelation" and than backstep saying that it was for poor performance. You look like a bigoted idiot. There's no way to get out of that hole.

The bottom line is that Stanton was effective as city manager for more than a decade. To have anything else come out at this point to the contrary, just doesn't fly in my book.

Cindi

Quote from: David Fraser, ClearwaterThirteen-year-old boys have enough to worry about. How could anyone be selfish enough to take a young boy's father off the face of the earth and replace him with a second mother?

Mr. Stanton, if you are reading this, please reconsider. Or maybe you don't remember how tough it was to be 13. You think you are confused about life and gender assignment? Try explaining it to your friends in middle school.

My best wishes to your family as they clean up the mess created by your selfish desires.

(emphasis mine - kjs)

This issue has certainly become a lightning rod for the wrath of the Bigots.  Have a big house and an Excursion or Escalade (or H2  ) and a turbo V-8 fishing boat ("and a gasoline-powered turtleneck sweater, and a fur-lined sink, and then I bought some dumb stuff..." -Steve Martin), and then call someone else 'selfish'--

I'm beyond anger/resentment

Karen

Quote from: Karen on March 19, 2007, 07:21:42 PM
This issue has certainly become a lightning rod for the wrath of the Bigots.  Have a big house and an Excursion or Escalade (or H2  ) and a turbo V-8 fishing boat ("and a gasoline-powered turtleneck sweater, and a fur-lined sink, and then I bought some dumb stuff..." -Steve Martin), and then call someone else 'selfish'--

I've been browsing and commenting in reader comments all over the place since this story broke, and this is the most common complaint I hear (after freak! sinner!).

I've heard the same from two coworkers in fact: not that they mind what I'm doing so much, as how could I be so selfish and do this to my wife?

I think/guess that outsiders picture us as suddenly just "deciding" to do this one day, as a cool thing to do, like you'd decide to buy a new car. As if a marriage was the perfect heterosexual fantasy for decades, then suddenly a TS just decides to throw it all away to pursue some fantasy - ALMOST as if we're having a fling with someone.

I TRY to explain, but it falls on deaf ears.

Kate

Because my family can't deal with the TS thang, they acuse me of being selfish. Yup, I'm selfish. That's why I "abandoned" them. How could anyone be so selfish to "leave" the family and people they love?

There's nothing we can do to explain it. They've never had a life ending decision to make. And until they do, they'll never have a frame of reference.

Cindi

Yep, it's a selfish decision to "leave" family and friends by becoming the woman you always were rather than stay and possibly kill yourself.

Guess what, if you had, they would have called that selfish too! (and for most of the same reasons)

As far as the Stanton thing...it sounds like there were a number of people who didn't like her prior to her coming out.  If half the work-related comments are true, it sounds like a very hard person to work for.  Depending on how strong that group was, it could be that anything slightly controversial she had done would be used as an excuse to get her fired...work-place politics in the government offices.  The fact that they used her TS as the excuse shows their bigotry.  Plus, it has backfired and damaged the reputation of Largo by making the whole town look like a bunch of redneck a-holes.  (It may really be, but no one knew that before.)  Dipsh*ts!  I hate it when amateurs play at politics...even the ones that get paid for it.

Sadly, we are always going to have people in the public who just don't like someone simply because they are different.  Most are otherwise great people, but they have that one major character flaw that makes dealing with them something to avoid.  To those objecting for religious reasons, before you condemn your brother or sister, remember Romans 3:23,  "For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God."  ALL - that includes you.  When you can walk on the water, I'll listen to your comments on what is a sin, but until then read Matthew 7:1, "Judge not, that ye be not judged."

And that's Miss Laurie's sermon for the day...now, if you will kindly pass the offering plate....

.......Laurie

Yup Laurie. I'll let god sort it all out.

One day we'll sit down together for a cup of something and have a jolly good laugh over all of this.

Cindi