I had a story here a few weeks ago about a City Manager in Florida who was ready to take the plunge and become a woman. As it turns out, he was fired for job performance-related issues.

No, I’m not kidding.

After a six-hour hearing, the commissioners decided to fire 48-year-old Steve Stanton after his announcement that he planned a new life as a woman. The move came after the commission voted 5-2 last month to suspend him with pay.

Commissioners contended Stanton was being fired because they lost confidence in him, not because he wants to be a woman.

“I think we’re pretty well convinced,” Commissioner Gay Gentry said. “You have to believe us, you have to trust us, it is not about transgenderism.”

Stanton, 48, triggered the debate in the city of 76,000 west of Tampa last month when he announced his plans at a news conference. Commissioners said Stanton’s announcement caused turmoil and work disruption in the city. His contract says he can be fired without cause at any time.

Stanton has not decided if he will sue over the firing.

“I was optimistic, but I knew it would be very difficult to slow down the train,” he said following the hearing.

Heh… The whole transgender thing is just a man behind the curtain sitting next to an all-knowing floating head. Nothing to see here. No discrimination. Move along.

In fact, speaking of his job performance, here’s an interesting tidbit:

The city commission had given Stanton generally good reviews and a hefty raise last year for his management of the city’s $130 million budget and roughly 1,200 employees. But since commissioners put Stanton on leave, some have criticized him for hard-nosed treatment of employees.

Sure… He went from a fantastic manager worthy of a pay raise to a disruptive influence that needed to be terminate to ensure the smooth function of the city government; it happened to coincide with him wanting to become a woman, and it had nothing to do with that decision.

Now about that bridge I’m selling…