Sunday, March 4, 2007

There are times when events around us require reflection that might not quite fit with the theme of our Sunday service.  At such times, we ministers offer some briefs remarks on the topic, in the form of a pulpit editorial.

In our specific case today, the topic of our service -- our sense of shared common humanity -- is relevant to two very pertinent social justice issues: our city's struggle with homelessness, which Council Member Bennett will speak to shortly, as well as the situation in Largo, where Mr. Steven Stanton, City Manager, was removed from his job this week, because he admitted to being transsexual.  It's this latter situation, in Largo, that I'd like to address.

First of all, what are we talking about?  Transsexual, transgender...these terms sound similar, but have different meanings.  The experience of being transsexual is one of feeling as if your body parts do not match your sense of who you are as a person.  Generally, the term transgendered is used after an individual has undergone gender re-assignment surgery.  Surgical gender re-assignment is not undertaken lightly, and it takes years of psychological and medical evaluation before surgeons will agree to perform the procedure.  (You now likely now more about the experience of being transgender than did the Commissioners of the city of Largo when they met this past week to discuss Mr. Stanton's fate.) 

My Unitarian Universalist colleague from Clearwater, Rev. Abhi Janamanchi, and I attended the special session of the Largo City Commission last Tuesday.  We had both gone, speeches in hand, to witness our Unitarian Universalist values, intent on asking the Commission to not act hastily, and to judge Mr. Stanton on his job performance.

What we witnessed at this standing-room-only event was nothing short of mob hysteria, with the vast majority of people present demanding Mr. Stanton's immediate removal.  We heard the minister of a local Baptist church say, "If Jesus were alive today, he would fire Steve Stanton."  We saw people clapping, shouting, and cheering in joy at the prospect of ruining the life of a long-tenured public servant, solely because traditional gender labels did not fit.  The result, a 5-2 vote to remove Stanton from his job, was nothing short of a modern-day lynching, a travesty of justice, and the city of Largo should be ashamed.

Every religion I know of speaks of compassion.  Not selective compassion, for the few, for whom it is easy for us to love, but compassion for all, including those who we do not understand.  Neither Abhi nor I are transgendered, and we cannot even begin to fathom the pain, struggle, and self-reflection inherent in getting to the point of gender re-assignment.  That lack of personal experience with the struggle does not call us away from our duty to love.  I am deeply saddened that for so many others, apparently it does.

In addition to this lack of compassion, I'm troubled that the number one factor clearly influencing the Commission was Stanton's admission of transsexuality, and that no public effort was made to even understand what that means.  No academic, medical, or psychological experts were invited to share their perspectives with city officials or residents.  Caught in the darkness of ignorance, swayed by the hysteria of those who showed up at this hearing, it is no surprise that the weak willed caved in to prejudice.

That prejudice now exists side-by-side with the fact that, in polling conducted this week by the St. Petersburg Times, nearly 70% of Largo residents believe that a transgender individual should be able to keep his/her job, and nearly 80% said that they could have such an individual as a co-worker.  No public effort to understand transsexuality, and now, it would seem, no effort to even understand what the people of Largo truly believe.  Such is the leadership of those with weak wills and even smaller hearts.

Largo's motto -- somehow, unbelievably -- is that it is 'the city of progress.'  This is an aspiration that I and my colleague ministers intend on holding the city to.  Abhi, myself, and the Unity minister in Clearwater have called for a press conference this Tuesday; we will be holding it right in front of Largo City Hall.  Joining us will be a coalition of progressive clergy, from a variety of faiths.  Together, we will give witness to our religious values; we will call on the city of Largo to do better, to do right by Mr. Stanton.  If you can join us in making this appeal, please meet us in front of Largo City Hall, this Tuesday morning at 10:00am.

As we look at the big picture, the question before us, both in this issue and the issue of homelessness, is how do we relate to those of a different background or different life experience than ourselves.  Do we close off our hearts, developing an 'us versus them' mentality, or do we focus on our shared humanity, despite whatever difference exists? 

I suspect that we will delve deeper into this essential spiritual question as we hear Council Member Bennett's homily.  Please join me in welcoming him.