Susan Stanton doesn't seem much different than any other woman: She struggles with her weight, she tries to balance her career with being a parent, and she worries about her teenage son who is just learning to drive.But Stanton has only been a woman for about two years.In 2007, Largo, Florida, City Manager Steven Stanton, announced he planned to become a woman. Stanton -- who knew very little about the transgender community -- practically became the poster child for the transgender rights movement. Today, her name is linked more closely with budget concerns in Lake Worth, Florida. That relative anonymity has allowed Stanton to finally achieve her goals: to live her life as a woman, resume her career as a city manager, and continue to raise her son. Stanton's transition from man to woman is intimately chronicled in the CNN documentary, "Her Name was Steven," which airs this Saturday at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET.Stanton agreed to participate in the documentary to "put a human face on [something] people still have a profound misunderstanding of," she says. Are you transgendered? Share your messageStanton's 2007 announcement came as a shock to the city of Largo, Florida, who had known Steven Stanton as their city manager for 14 years.
wow levelingThe city manager was promptly terminated and Stanton's marriage ended. After transitioning to Susan, she became a pariah in the transgender community for her wavering position on whether all transgender people should be federally protected, as well as her decision not to sue the city of Largo for her termination.
aion power levelingBut her relationship with her son, Travis, never wavered. Travis' acceptance of his father is a central part of the CNN documentary.Read Travis' essay about his fatherThe most stinging criticism for Stanton is that the gender transition would harm Travis.
03-10-2010, 07:11 AM
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Life after becoming a woman
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