By now you’ve probably heard about the Largo, Fla. city manager who’s being fired less than a week after being outed about his plans to transition.* One news story summed it up all too well:

Steve Stanton professed his love for the city and asked the people of Largo to support his decision to undergo a sex change and allow him to keep his $140,000-a-year job as city manager. To his sorrow, the answer came back no.

The answer wasn’t just no, it was a witch hunt, with a local Pharisee declaring: “If Jesus was here tonight, I can guarantee you he’d want him terminated.” Really?! Last I heard, Jesus was the sort of guy who comforted society’s outcasts, who urged us to love one another, and who had no patience for fuckwits who pride themselves in their self-righteousness.

Meanwhile on local blogs, usually anonymous posters claimed that Stanton had fired several city employees for things related to their private life. I don’t know the truth of those claims, but those weren’t what the commission considered. Nor Stanton’s performance.

Instead there was the “it’s disruptive” argument. Then there was the “it’s not the sex change, it’s the deception” argument—made by the very same people who would’ve have accused Stanton of “flaunting” his trans-ness had he been open about it.

End result, after a show trial, the commission voted 5-2 to begin the legal process of firing Stanton after 14 years on the job. Kudos to Mayor Pat Gerard and Commissioner Rodney Woods for standing up to the mob.

Local columnist Howard Troxler dissected the hipocrisy of it all far better than I can.

(Speaking of hipocrisy, while I appreciate the St. Petersburg Times’ telling the commission to judge Stanton on his skills not his gender and later chiding the commission for bowing to prejudice, they conveniently forgot to mention their own role in outing Stanton. One of their reporters got wind of Stanton’s plans to come out in June so his teenage son could be out of town and shielded from the publicity, but decided to not only short-circuit those plans but ran the story before Stanton could tell his son.)

As Stanton ponders his next moves, the commission better start checking their lawsuit insurance coverage, since the firing violated the city’s own 2003 Discrimination and Harassment Prohibition policy “specifically prohibits bias, prejudice, intimidation, coercion and harassment by any City employee at the work place, during business trips, or at City functions. The new policy mandates treating all human beings with respect regardless of race, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression.” Plus as, outlined in Dr. Jillian Todd Weiss’ Transgender Workplace Diversity blog, there’s federal, state and local laws potentially protecting Stanton from dismissal on the basis of gender identity.

But don’t just get angry, get active. You can call or write to the Large commissioners. (Although apparently they’ve received so much email that it’s starting to bounce.) Be sure to let Mayor Gerard and Commissioner Woods know we appreciate their courage and to let the others know that hate is not a civic value. You can support Equality Florida or the National Center for Lesbian Rights’ Transgender Law Center, which is reportedly representing Stanton. And you can help lobby your local member of Congress for a trans-inclusive anti-discrimination employment law. (If you can’t make it to Washington, D.C. in May, you can instead visit your representative in your home state during the week of April 9-13 when they’re in their home district office for Spring recess.) Last but not least, the Largo commissioners will be up for re-election sooner or later. Consider sending a donation to vote in someone who’s ready to goven as if it’s the 21th century not the Dark Ages.

* Stanton has said he preferred to be referred to as “he” until he transitions, so I’m doing so here.