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April 17, 2007

Fired Florida transsexual city manager says he won't sue

A Largo, Fla., city manager fired after revealing his plans to have a sex change said he will not sue and that he will begin living as a woman full-time by the end of May. Steve Stanton, 48, said Friday during the taped segment on CNN's Larry King Live that he will be living as Susan within the next two months. He said he and his wife will separate.

Stanton had previously said taking Largo to court would be like ''suing my mother,'' but the city of 76,000 west of Tampa had expected him to sue.

''It is tempting to seek retribution in the courts, but after much reflection and soul-searching, I just cannot find it within my heart to sue Largo, a city I have always and will always love. I do not want to punish the citizens of Largo,'' Stanton said in the statement.

The National Center for Lesbian Rights said in a press release that Stanton has decided to focus on education and public advocacy on behalf of the transgender community instead of filing a lawsuit. The city commission voted 5–2 in February and again in March to fire Stanton from the $140,000-a-year job he held for 14 years. Wthat prompted the votes, commissioners said, was Stanton's judgment on the job, not the revelation that he planned a sex change. (AP)

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