Just over a month ago, LGBT Weekly reported on the suspension of Atlanta fire chief Kelvin Cochran. You’ll recall Kelvin Cochran. He was Atlanta Mayor Karim Reed’s handpicked fire chief for the nation’s 40th most populous city. During his tenure, or more accurately, just prior to his official suspension by Reed, several employees complained to city officials over a published work Cochran was passing out entitled, “Who Told You That You Were Naked?”
In the self-penned essay, Cochran makes unflattering references to homosexuality based on his interpretations of the Bible and, more specifically, the book of Genesis. He defines “uncleanness” or “whatever is opposite of purity,” by lumping together “sodomy, homosexuality, lesbianism, pederasty, bestiality, all other forms of sexual perversion.” In another section, Cochran [writes] that “naked men refuse to give in, so they pursue sexual fulfillment through multiple partners, with the opposite sex, the same sex and sex outside of marriage and many other vile, vulgar and inappropriate ways which defile their body-temple and dishonor God.”
Reed quickly suspended the firebrand for one month and issued a public stating reminding the LGBT community and others that “[he was] deeply disturbed by the sentiments expressed in the paperback regarding the LGBT community.” He added that in the future, Cochran will be prohibited from distributing the book on city property; he will also be required to undergo sensitivity training.
But on Sunday, according to the Coweta County’s Times-Herald.com, Cochran returned to a series of familiar themes during a sermon while attending a conference at the Georgia Baptist Convention. He was asked to share his testimony by Dr. Jimmy Patterson, senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Newnan, the center of the county, where he declared: “Adam was fearful for his transgression and felt condemnation,” Cochran said. “He realized that after his carnal eyes were open, he lost more than he had ever gained from his transgression.” He added, with a note of calibrated victimization that “God intended for men and women are to be together to have children and populate the Earth. And any sex outside marriage and outside of a man and woman in holy matrimony is against the word of God. For that stand, I have been laid off for 30 days without pay.” (He was laid off because the city found him in violation of anti-discrimination codes.)
While he specifically did not condemn the LGBT community overtly, he made sure that his PR redemption, if that was even what he was striving for, avoided any specific statements intended to incite his detractors outside of his faith-based views on same-sex marriage. “I took a stand for Christ, and it’s his reputation that is on the line,” he said. “Jesus never throws us under the bus. He will be glorified and I will be vindicated once all the truth comes out.”
LGBT Weekly tried to reach Mayor Reed’s office but was unable to get through due to the holiday. We will continue to follow-up to determine what Mayor Reed’s plans are. Will he rehire the suspended fire chief? Will there be specific checks and balances in place should this situation arise again? And, most importantly, where does the mayor feel the line between personal belief and public accountability should be drawn?
The man has a right to freedom of speech and religion while he is on his own time. Please respect that right.
He does not, however, have that same freedom while in the employ of a governmental agency while on duty. That was the breach of protocal that caused his suspension. As long as he keeps his religious beliefs to himself while on duty, he should not have any further issues. If he can not, he will be subjecting the city of Atlanta to a federal lawsuit that they will lose.
I hope for the sake of my tax dollars, he has learned how to keep them seperate.
No tolerance for bigotry in Atlanta or in our subdivision. I live in the same subdivision as Mr. Cochran and Mr. Reed, and the community does not share Mr. Cochran’s views and are ashamed that he lives here. Everyone has the right to their own beliefs, but just as a white person who believes that blacks are dumb and inferior should not be able to distribute his views of hatred to other city employees that includes black people on the job, Mr. Cochran should not have taken the liberty to push his views on employees of the city of atlanta, which includes the group of people that he despises.