Former Shreveport Fire Chief Fired as Atlanta’s Chief
Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran is looking for a job today. He's been terminated as chief in Atlanta.
Cochran has been the subject of recent controversy over remarks made in a self-published religious book. Mayor Kasim Reed gave Cochran the choice of resigning or being fired. Cochran chose termination.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports Cochran returned to work following a month-long suspension for comments in his 2013 book “Who Told You That You Are Naked?” Many criticized the book as promoting discriminatory and anti-gay views, while Cochran’s suspension — and now termination — has since become the focus of a fight over “religious liberty.”
“LGBT citizens deserve the right to express their beliefs regarding sexual orientation, and deserve to be respected for their positions without hate and discrimination,” he said. “But Christians also have the right to express their beliefs regarding sexual orientation and be respected for their position without hate and without discrimination. In the United States, no one should be vilified hated or discriminated against for expressing their beliefs.”