The city of Atlanta is now accepting applications for a new fire chief.
Kelvin Cochran, Atlanta’s former fire chief, was canned by Mayor Kasim Reed this week just one day after returning from a 30-day suspension without pay for going against city policy by self-publishing an antigay e-book.
In Who Told You That You Were Naked?, Cochran, a self-proclaimed “devout Christian man,” mediates on the evils of gay people, calling them “vile,” “vulgar,” “perverts,” and “inappropriate,” and comparing homosexuality to bestiality.
The 162-page magnum opus, which Cochran self-published in November 2013, was first discovered by retired Atlanta Fire Department Captain Cindy Thompson, who is openly gay. Thompson alerted the media in November 2014, calling the book “highly disturbing.”
“Certainly we agree with Mayor Reed’s position on this and his rationale for it,” Georgia Equality Executive Director Jeff Graham said shortly after the announcement was made.
Georgia Equality has been calling for Cochran’s termination for over a month, claiming his extreme antigay views foster a hostile work environment.
“This is not about his religious views but his about his ability to lead a diverse work force,” Graham said. “It’s unfortunate that this had to happen. I feel the mayor has done the right thing to ensure all employees are treated fairly.”
“His personal religious beliefs are not the issue at all despite the number of comments and emails I have been receiving on a daily basis,” Mayor Reed said. “His judgment and ability to manage the department was the subject of this inquiry. His actions around the book, his statements during the investigation, eroded my confidence.”
The city requires employees to first seek permission and obtain approval before publishing a book, which officials say Cochran never did, which is ultimately what led to him being terminated.
But Cochran isn’t buying that excuse. In an interview with a Fox News blogger, he said he believes he was fired for being a Christian. He also claims that he is not homophobic and that he only references homosexuality on one page in the 162-page manifesto.
“I did not single out homosexuality,” he said. “I simply spoke to sex being created by God for procreation and He intended it to be between a man and a woman in holy matrimony — and that any other sex outside of that is sin.”
He says he is now considering his legal options.
“I believe God has greater things for me,” he claimed. “I’m not discouraged and I’m not downtrodden. This is a God thing and He’s going to do great things and He will vindicate me publicly.”
Who Told You That You Were Naked? is currently #15 on Amazon’s “Christian Books” bestsellers list, behind The Lady and the Mountain Man, an inspirational Christian romance novel, about an orphaned heiress whose husband is killed by a grizzly bear.
Related stories:
Atlanta’s Fire Chief In Hot Water For Self-Publishing Creepy Antigay Book Online
Ten Antigay Hypocrites Who Won’t Take Responsibility For Their Moral Failures
Students Drown Out Antigay Hate Preacher With Inspiring Love Ballad
polarisfashion
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!
Ron Jackson
He’s “considering his legal options”. LOL
Don’t poke a tiger in the eye dude. Go hide in your christian closet and maybe in a while people will forget what an asswipe you are.
Bob LaBlah
His best bet is to get with ol’ Bernice King and “Bishop” Eddie Long to see what type of b/s can be stirred up to get his job backed. They once led marches against black gays in the not too distant past before Long was exposed for the hypocritical pedophile that he was all along. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a prisoner or two I this guys past who was “probed” a bit too closely.
DCFarmboi
Why is it that conservatives who offer no support for workplace rights always think they can invent a court case when it is their job?
cflekken
So, on one hand, the article quotes the book as saying that homosexuals are “vile,” “vulgar,” “perverts,” and “inappropriate,”
On the other hand, Cochran says “I did not single out homosexuality,I simply spoke to sex being created by God for procreation and He intended it to be between a man and a woman in holy matrimony — and that any other sex outside of that is sin.”
Somebody’s lying here….. LOL
Irishguy
this guy triggers my gaydar to high alert-I can honestly see him enjoying a good deep plow
Kieran
Looks like Bill Maher’s dreaded “Gay Mafia” has struck again. Sorry Billy. LOL
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Nice, this D-bag pig got hosed…………
And you just have to love how the rightwing nutbags haters are screaming about this pig’s getting fired. He signed an employment agreement that clearly specified he could not publish a book without prior approval.
MisterDemand
Wow, even over on the linked Fox News Todd Starnes blog, people commenting aren’t buying the whole “persecution for religious beliefs” BS.
If that excuse doesnt work for anti-Semitic statements, it shouldn’t work for anti-gay ones
jwtraveler
It’s always particularly disturbing when black Americans, who should know better, spout this garbage. Do they not know about Emmett Till, the 15-year-old black kid who was tortured and killed for whistling at a white woman, the Scottsboro boys, falsely imprisoned for raping white prostitutes or the many other black men who have been imprisoned, executed or lynched for imagined sex crimes against white women? It’s scary how easily the victimized can become the victimizers.
scotshot
“Cochran identifies himself as the Atlanta fire chief and says its first priority as chief is to run the department “to cultivate its culture to the glory of god.”” – From the foreward to his book.
It’s against policy to identify any connection to your position at work (lawsuits).
He also passed out copies of his book to selected colleagues at work.
transiteer
Don’t let the door hit your hot ass on the way out! Amazing – a black bigot.
Mikah
Another homophobic christian,claiming not to be homophobic when the evidence for his homophobia is as clear as day.Do these morons even know what the word homophobia means,and what it entails?Good riddance.
LadyL
@jwtraveler: Such, sadly, is the power of the hypocritical Black Church…
… and the twisted psychology of victimization, in which one demonized group will willingly participate in the demonization of another in hopes of distancing itself from societal scorn.
NiceNCool1
If there’s a god out there that doesn’t want him to be fired this man shouldn’t have to lift a finger to get his job back, but if that doesn’t happen, then he should either accept that:
a) His god doesn’t want him to have that job, or
b) There is no god.
Tackle
When this post was first put up at Queerty, I waiting for the posters who would show-up, and connect the actions/words of this ONE man, to the whole Black community. With words like (black Americans) (they),and futher down,
(Black Church) and (group), I wasn’t proven wrong.
People get a fu@king clue! This is about ONE Black man. And group generalizations is one of the basic elements that fosters prejudice and promotes r@cism.
And it’s funny how neither post is saying anything about that it was a Black Mayor (Reed) who fired him. So posters can sit back and paint brush a whole community by the negitive actions of one. And yet when (ONE) does something positive, that brush is never used (of course not) to paint a whole community. In fact, the actions will not even be mentioned. As proven above…
And they will never sit back and paint the whole White community by the actions of Westboro Baptist church who have been known for their extreme ideologies against LGBTQ people, and have been picketing their funerals for the past 30 yrs.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
@jwtraveler:
1000% Co-Sign to your comment, more below
@Tackle:
Sorry but there are waaaaaaaay too manymembers of the Black community who conviently forget their not too long ago struggles. Smcubags like Robert Astorino who ran for Governor in NY went to a gathering of hundreds of Black Pastors to decry NY’s passage of Gay marriage. You don’t think every one of those hate monger Pastors don’t spew ugly disgusting abhorrent rhetoric each and every week to their congregation with the Parishoners nodding yes, none of them speaking out about the disgusting venom coming from the Pastor?????
Sure there are many Blacks who support our struggle, you need look no further than Martin Luther King’s family to see the problem with the Black community. Coretta King stated that if Martin were still alive he would have been 100% supportive of the equality movement. And yet his niece and son have spoken out strongly against Gay equality.
Their Father/uncle was assinated in the struggle for their equality and they have no issues spewing hatred and bigotry upon another minority????????
jwtraveler
@PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS: While it’s true that many conservative black pastors are very anti-gay, most black politicians have been supportive of gay rights. I don’t believe that black people are more anti-gay as a group than white people; it’s just more disappointing and disturbing when they are. A couple of years ago I was passing out leaflets in midtown Manhattan to drum up support for a national gay rights bill. Most of the passersby were white-collar workers. I noticed that far fewer black than white people refused to take the flyers, but those were the ones I loved talking to—I equated the struggle for gay rights with the black civil rights movement. I think I persuaded one or two, but I had a lot of fun doing it.
(BTW, I’m Jewish, and the way I feel about anti-gay black pastors is nothing compared to the utter outrage and contempt I feel toward anti-gay Orthodox Jews.)
jwtraveler
@Tackle: Please read above. I understand what you’re saying, but it isn’t JUST ONE man. Many black pastors have spoken out in terms very similar to this man. But I’m sure that there are black pastors who are supportive and excepting of gay people. My personal feeling, as I stated above, is not that black people are more anti-gay than white people, but that having known oppression themselves, it’s more disturbing and shocking to hear this kind of bigotry coming from black people. I’ve actual heard black homophobes, opposing gay marriage, say “Every child deserves a mother and a father.” Are you f–king kidding me? In a country where 70% of black children are born to unmarried mothers, how can you not see the hypocrisy?!
jwtraveler
Oops! “…ACcepting…”
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
@jwtraveler:
It may be that the simple fact that any Black in any position of influence can spew hatred upon another minority magnifies the situation……..
Don’t get me started on Orthodox Jews!!!
Their people are some of the most persecuted in the history of mankind and the spew their venom upon Gays at every chance they get. An older friend of mine was on the forefront of the Gay rights bill in NYC in the 80’s, which was at the height of the AIDS epidemic. He has told us the public hearings were a vile disgusting display of pure hatred from those abhorrent smelly pigs. Everytime the word “AIDS” was mentioned, those sick twisted bastards would cheer…………