“What’s the use of having names,” the Gnat said, “if they won’t answer to them?”
“No use to them,” said Alice, “but it’s useful to the people that name them, I suppose.”
– Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking Glass”
Life is more than the sum of its parts. This is the crafty tag-line to 2005’s “Transamerica”, an independent film about a transexual woman who was born a man. This alone would seem burden enough, but the true curse lies in the fact that she was born into America’s society – one powered by double-edged hypocrisy hidden by the glossy shell of religion. There are no Hollywood endings here.
Early this month, the city commission of Largo, Fla., made a prime example of this country’s bigotry. Steve Stanton, Largo’s city manager for 14 years, revealed that he plans to undergo a sex change.
Not long after, the City Commission had a 5-to-2 vote to begin the three-step process of Stanton’s removal.
“He’s done a great job for us. He’s done what we asked him to do and taken the heat over and over and over again and now we’re going to turn on him,” said Mayor Patricia Gerard, one of the two who voted against Stanton’s removal,
“We’re making a decision about whether we’re going to be an inclusive and compassionate community, or are we going to be small minded and bigoted,” Gerard said.
Those who felt otherwise argued the reasons for his removal were that Stanton’s self-exposure “caused stress, turmoil, distraction, and work disruption” in the workplace.
Stanton ethically should have told the public about his being a transsexual before he was the City Manager (even if Stanton had told voters, common sense says he would not have been in office in the first place), and that will probably be the cold logic that will sway jurors’ votes against his lawsuit of discrimination.
I understand the conflict that is made when an admired politician makes a confession to the public while in office instead of confessing before the votes were in but the obvious reason for Stanton’s removal is that he is a transexual.
Stanton had an enviable reputation as a solid leader. Why risk losing a competent politician? I was under the impression they were a rare breed.
According to Commissioner Mary Gray Black, the reason is that Stanton no longer has “the integrity, nor the trust, nor the respect, nor the confidence to continue as the city manager of the city of Largo.” While the competition is good, is anyone up for a game of Bullshit?
The National Center for Transgender Equality states that 69 percent of Americans live in areas that have yet to ban discrimination against transgendered individuals.
Other cases of discrimination include a middle school student dressing gender-appropriately instead of sex-appropriately and being punished, along with a loan applicant who was sent home and told to return only when her clothing coincides with her identification.
Another statistic, called the 50 Percent Rule, is that half of transexuals are dead by 30; suicide is most often the cause.
A transexual is by definition someone who is conflicted with gender identity and physical sex.
It is recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association (the DSM) as well.
These cases are not common colds or should even be classified as cases. Transsexuals are human beings who need understanding, not violent response or close-mindedness.Every two weeks, one transgendered individual is murdered on the basis of just being transgender.
I have researched Stanton’s case and I have read the comments on message boards pertaining to his situation. The word “freak” was a regular commodity.
Transexuals are not freaks. In fact, I say there should be an addition to the DSM in their defense. The symptoms: hereditary stupidity, repeated acts of hostility conflicting with alleged morals and inability to accept those different from themselves.
Quotes can be found on kutv.com and shakesville.com

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