LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY kynn)

Or so claims a Christian (dominionist) minister who campaigned to get a transgendered city manager fired:

Charlie Martin, senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks, said he encouraged parishioners to attend because it's the "biggest issue facing Largo[, Florida]" in his 36-year tenure as pastor of the church, one of the largest in Pinellas County.

Stanton's continued employment will be devastating to Largo's reputation and future business interests, Martin said.

Moreover, he said, it would trample on the rights of religious employees to force them to call the city manager Susan, the name Stanton plans to use when he comes to work as a woman this spring.

"Do we want what's controversial or do we want what's best for Largo?" said Martin, whose church includes many members from Largo.

The city council, led by Mary Black, an anti-LGBT commissioner, voted to fire public employee Susan Stanton after a newspaper outed her upcoming gender reassignment and the religious bigots came out in force.

According to another minister in the area, Jesus himself would fire the man:

"Mr. Stanton is not a role model. He's proven that. I think for the sake of our young people today, you need to do what's right, and that's terminate him. ... If Jesus was here tonight, I can guarantee you he'd want him terminated. Make no mistake about it."

- Ron Sanders, pastor, Lighthouse Baptist Church of Largo

The city is able to fire Stanton, their city manager of 14 years, because in 2003 they rejected a city ordinance that would protect gay and transgendered public employees from discrimination.