Kelvin Cochran, who authored “Who Told You That You Are Naked?” was placed on a 30-day suspension without pay before he was fired. Cochran, who describes himself as a devout Christian and who has condemned homosexuality as “vile, vulgar, and inappropriate,” published the book in 2013.
“I am heartbroken that I will no longer be able to serve the city and the people I love as fire chief, for no reason other than my Christian faith,” Cochran said in a statement that was released by the Arizona-based Alliance Defending Freedom.
Mayor Kasim Reed said he dismissed Cochran because he failed to receive approval from city officials to publish the book and proceeded to publicly speak about it without the mayor’s approval, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
“Despite my respect for Chief Cochran’s service,” Reed said last week, “I believe his actions and decision-making undermine his ability to effectively manage a large, diverse workforce.”
— AJC (@ajc) January 13, 2015
The mayor’s office has released a copy of the internal investigation. The Atlanta Journal Constitution Journal reports that the probe sought to determine whether Cochran received proper clearance from City Hall, how widely the book was distributed inside the department, and if the chief’s personal views affected his disciplinary decisions.
“The Standards of Conduct provide a clear directive to ‘commissioners, deputy commissioners [and] department heads” to seek approval of the Board of Ethics before the department head “may engage in private employment or render services for private interests.’ No such approval was sought or rendered in the publication of the book that is available on Amazon.com for purchase,” according to the investigation.
The investigation also notes that there was no evidence that Cochran treated any LGBT employees unfairly.
His case is also becoming widely known among some lawmakers hoping to bolster support for religious liberty bills, including in Georgia’s General Assembly. Several lawmakers there were hoping to push a contested legislation which, if passed, would restrict the state government from “burdening” employees’ religious freedoms.
“This happened to me, but it’s really not about me,” Cochran said. “It’s a warning to every American that freedom of speech and freedom of religion are hanging by a thread, which will snap if we don’t fight to preserve these cherished protections.”
