A CNN documentary about what happened, personally and professionally, to former Largo City Manager Steven Stanton after he decided to become Susan Stanton finally premiered on CNN on March 13.
CNN Presents: Her Name Was Steven has screened at film festival events and was part of the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival’s monthly program in January. The documentary looks at the struggle a person can face as a transgender person and will air repeatedly on the news network.
Stanton, who had been the Largo city manager for 14 years, was fired in 2007 after he had announced that he was planning a sex-change operation. The married manager had performed well on the job, but a story in the St. Petersburg Times revealing his plans to undergo gender reassignment surgery polarized the Largo community.
The documentary features Stanton’s teenage son prominently and Stanton’s ex-wife, Debra, provides voiceovers in the film. She did not want to appear on film, according to the documentary.
“We followed his life for nearly two years, through the highs and the lows, and we came away with an emotional story that transcends the gender issue,” said producer Bud Bultman.
The 80-minute film also includes interviews with co-workers, as well as childhood diaries, old family films and voiceovers form personal journals, which document Stanton’s struggle with gender identity.
“We were there during hospital procedures and during the frustrating search to find a new job,” Bultman said in a news release. “At one point, she talks about contemplating suicide, and at another point she is at peace with being the person she was meant to be.”
Her Name Was Steven was completed before Susan Stanton was hired as city manager in Lake Worth, a city in South Florida that hired her late last year.
