In January 2015, Atlanta, Georgia fire Chief Kelvin Cochran was fired from his job by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. Mayor Reed received complaints regarding a book that Chief Cochran wrote and published titled “Who Told You That You Were Naked? The Book contains passages from the Bible which point out that homosexuality is a sin. After receiving the complaints from pro-homosexual individuals, Mayor Reed publicly stated, “I am deeply disturbed by the sentiments expressed in the paperback regarding the LGBT community,” and that Chief Cochran's Bible based beliefs on homosexuality were “not representative of my personal beliefs, and is inconsistent with the administration's work to make Atlanta a more welcoming city for all citizens—regardless of their sexual orientation, gender, race, and religious beliefs.”The Mayor also went on record saying that he was worried that the Bible verses that Chief Cochran included in his book would lead to accusations of discrimination. Mayor Reed then suspended Chief Kelvin for 30 days, ostensibly to conduct an investigation into Chief Kelvin's “judgment and management skills.” At the end of the 30 day suspension, Mayor Reed fired Chief Kelvin. Interestingly, Chief Kelvin is a 34 year veteran fire fighter, who not only served two terms as Atlanta's Fire Chief, but was also appointed by President Obama as the U.S. Fire Administrator for the United States Fire Administration. And Mayor Reed claims he is investigating Chief Kelvin's “judgment and management skills.” It would appear that, given Mayor Reed's statements that Chief Kelvin was fired simply because of his sound Biblical beliefs. Beliefs that Mayor Reed does not share.
Sources:
Bible Citation Costs Atlanta Fire Chief His Job by Kate Shellnutt, http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2015/january/bible-citation-costs-atlanta-fire-chief-job-kelvin-cochran.html
Atlanta fire chief suspended after distributing his religious book to employees by Abby Ohlheiser, November 26, 2014, http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2014/11/26/atlanta-fire-chief-suspended-after-distributing-his-religious-book-to-employees/
Sources:
Bible Citation Costs Atlanta Fire Chief His Job by Kate Shellnutt, http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2015/january/bible-citation-costs-atlanta-fire-chief-job-kelvin-cochran.html
Atlanta fire chief suspended after distributing his religious book to employees by Abby Ohlheiser, November 26, 2014, http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2014/11/26/atlanta-fire-chief-suspended-after-distributing-his-religious-book-to-employees/