Atlanta Fires Fire Chief for 'Anti-gay' Bible Study

Kelvin J. Cochran, Fire Chief of Atlanta, Georgia, and former member of the Obama administration, has been (UPDATED) fired because he self-published a compilation of his Christian Bible studies on his own time last year.  The book includes God's definition of marriage and sexual sinfulness, which enraged a city council member who says he's a homosexual.

"[Cochran's Bible study] is inconsistent with the administration's work to make Atlanta a more welcoming city for all citizens . . ." the mayor said, as he denounced the fire chief — who IS a citizen — for stating his religious beliefs.

For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

Utah Cop Punished for Refusing Homosexual Celebration Duty

California City Official Yanked: Caught Reading Bible

'Gay Marriage' = Christians Lose Jobs in North Carolina

Iowa Christian Newspaper Editor, Fired over Gay Agenda Critique

Homosexualists Force Pro-marriage Internet CEO Resignation

Also read Houston is Ground Zero in President Obama's War on Christianity.  And read how Vice President Biden declared that the Gay Agenda must trump religious beliefs.



-- From "Atlanta Fire Chief Suspended Over Book" by The Associated Press 11/25/14

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed says in a statement Monday that Kelvin Cochran will be suspended for a month without pay and will be required to complete sensitivity training.

Reed says he was “deeply disturbed” after learning about the book on Friday and will not tolerate discrimination within his administration.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the book titled “Who Told You That You Are Naked?” identifies Cochran as a devout Christian and as the city’s fire chief. City councilmember Alex Wan, who is openly gay, says Reed should investigate whether Cochran’s views have affected LGBT employees.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Atlanta fire chief suspended over book controversy" by Katie Leslie, Atlanta Journal Constitution 11/24/14

Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran has been suspended without pay for one month because of authoring a religious book in which he describes homosexuality as a “sexual perversion” akin to bestiality and pederasty.

Cochran has been ordered to undergo sensitivity training and has been barred from distributing copies of the book on city property after a number of firefighters said they received them in the workplace.

. . . Cochran said the book is a result of lesson plans he prepared for various men’s bible study groups.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Fire Chief suspended after publishing anti-gay comments" by Julie Wolfe, WXIA-TV11 (Atlanta, GA) 11/24/14

Two specific passages of the book are cited by [homosexual critics]:

"Uncleanness — whatever is opposite of purity; including sodomy, homosexuality, lesbianism, pederasty, bestiality, all other forms of sexual perversion."

"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."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Atlanta fire chief’s book says ‘unclean’ gay people ‘defile their body-temple and dishonor God’" by Travis Gettys, Raw Story 11/25/14

Cochran has served as chief of the Atlanta Fire Department since 2008, with a two-year stint starting in 2009 as U.S. Fire Administrator for the United States Fire Administration following an appointment by President Barack Obama.

Cochran describes himself in the book as a “devout Christian man” whose “greatest desire is to fulfill the purpose of God for his life and to be living proof of God’s exceeding great and precious promises.”

“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,” writes Kelvin Cochran in the book, which is available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

UPDATE 1/18/15: "Fired Atlanta fire chief speaks at Augusta church" by Lisa Kaylor, Staff Writer, The Augusta Chronicle

At Abilene Baptist Church on Sunday evening, Cochran spoke about the blessings of suffering he found through his own life story, and what he believes is God’s purpose for the controversy that surrounds his firing.

“I am not going through this because of something I have done,” he said. “I am going through this because of something that (God) is doing in the body of Christ and in my life.”

“That book is not about sexuality,” Cochran said. “But you can’t talk about Christian men overcoming the stronghold of condemnation unless you talk about sex, because men have a challenge in that area. You can’t talk about sex unless you talk about God’s purpose for sex, which was procreation, to multiply.”

“I believe God is going to use my life to demonstrate publicly the kingdom consequences for standing on his word and standing on the values that he has embraced in his holy book, the Holy Bible,” he said.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.



Also read Gay Agenda will be Complete when Christians are Muzzled, Say Homosexualists as well as Senator Ted Cruz Says the Gay Agenda Ends Christian Liberty

San Diego Guilty of Sexual Harassment of Non-Gay Firemen

City ordered to pay $34,300 to Firemen forced to attend the "gay pride parade" by Fire Chief Tracy Jarman

-- From "Jury awards $34,300 to firefighters over parade" by Tony Manolatos and Angelica Martinez, Union-Tribune Staff Writers 2/18/09

A jury of eight women and four men deliberated for 2½ days and found that the firefighters, who were ordered to ride a fire engine in the 2007 gay pride parade, were sexually harassed by some participants and spectators.

Jurors awarded a total of $34,300 to John Ghiotto, Jason Hewitt, Alex Kane and Chad Allison.
Allison said this was never about money.

The parade experience left the firefighters with headaches, anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome and other stress-related symptoms, they said. They also testified that they were subjected to catcalls and saw barely clothed men simulate sex acts along the route on University Avenue in Hillcrest, which is home to a large gay population.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

CA Gay Pride: Firefighters Sexually Harassed, Lesbian Fire Chief Admits

Fire Chief Tracy Jarman and the assistant chief who ordered four San Diego firefighters to attend last year's gay pride parade testified . . . that they understand how [the firefighters] could find the event offensive.

-- From "Fire chief recounts gay pride parade" by Tony Manolatos, San Diego Union-Tribune Staff Writer 9/19/08

The firefighters – John Ghiotto, Jason Hewitt, Alex Kane and Chad Allison – are suing the city for unspecified damages. They said they were sexually harassed at the parade and mistreated at work after filing complaints. The trial began Monday before Judge Michael Anello and is expected to last two more weeks.

The four men say they suffered emotional distress because of what they saw and heard: cat calls, simulated sex acts among men wearing nothing but briefs, and lewd comments and gestures.

Jarman and Assistant Chief Jeff Carle marched in last year's parade ahead of Engine 5, which carried the four firefighters. Neither Jarman nor Carle said they felt sexually harassed, but both testified that they can see why the parade would offend some people.

It's the biggest parade in the city, drawing more than 100,000 spectators to Hillcrest, home to a large gay population.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Following Complaints, San Diego Fire Department Revises Parade Policy

Charles LiMandri, the west coast director of the Thomas More Law Center said the wording of the new policy may not go far enough...

From "Following Complaints, San Diego Fire Department Revises Parade Policy" posted 8/13/07 at Citizenlink.org

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said it will no longer require on-duty crews to drive parade routes, a move that follows complaints by four firefighters who said they were harassed during a gay pride event.

The department will rely solely on firefighters who volunteer to ride engines used in parades, The Associated Press reports.

Four firefighters filed complaints with state authorities Aug. 1 seeking the right to press sexual-harassment claims against the city's fire department. The men — who were ordered by their battalion chief to participate in a parade on July 21 — said they were taunted with sexually explicit comments and gestures along the route.

Charles LiMandri, the west coast director of the Thomas More Law Center, is representing the firefighters in their legal claims against the city. He said the wording of the new policy may not go far enough.

“What happened to these dedicated public servants was inexcusable," he said recently. "The city should have known from past experience the kind of offensive activities that go on at this event. This was a clear case of sexual harassment in violation of state and federal law as well as the city’s own code of conduct.”

Related article San Diego Firefighters Forced to Participate in “Gay Pride” Parade

San Diego Firefighters Forced to Participate in “Gay Pride” Parade

As increasing number of corporate and government employers are adopting an actively pro-homosexual stance and expect their employees to do the same. Bible believing Christians are forced to choose between loyalty to Christ and financial security...

From "San Diego Firefighters Forced to Participate in “Gay Pride” Parade Subjected To Gross Sexual Gestures and Obscenities: Thomas More Law Center Files Claim" posted 8/6/07 at thomasmore.org

Four respected San Diego firefighters were ordered, against their wishes, to participate in uniform on their city fire truck in the city’s annual “Gay Pride” parade. During the course of the ensuing three hour long ordeal, the firefighters were subjected to vile sexual taunts from homosexuals lining the parade route. This included the following statements: “show me your hose,” “you can put out my fire,” “you’re making me hot,” “give me mouth-to-mouth,” “you look hungry, why don’t you have a twinkie (from a man wearing a “Girth and Mirth” t-shirt),” and “blow my hose.” These firemen are devoted husbands and fathers. When they refused to respond to the crowd, some in the crowd turned hostile and started shouting, “F—k you firemen” and others began “flipping them off.”

Gay 'pride' parades just seem to bring out the best in people...

San Diego area attorney, Charles LiMandri, the West Coast Director of the Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is representing the firefighters in their legal claims against the city. LiMandri was also the lead counsel in the successful Mt. Soledad Cross case in San Diego. A 52 year native San Diegan, LiMandri stated: “What happened to these dedicated public servants was inexcusable. The City should have known from past experience the kind of offensive activities that go on at this event. This was a clear case of sexual harassment in violation of state and federal law as well as the City’s own code of conduct.”

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center added, “These firefighters dedicated their lives to save the lives of others. They did not sign on to become unwilling props to a controversial political and social agenda.”

Continued Thompson, “The constitutional right to free speech also protects the right not to speak. These men should not have to explain to their families, friends and church congregations that their presence at a celebration of lewdness and obscenity in support of the homosexual agenda was because they were forced there by way of a direct order. This is a clear violation of their constitutional rights, and the City must be held accountable. It should never happen again to any city employee.”

The firefighters were also targets of gross sexual gestures to include the following: exposure of genitals, blowing kisses, grabbing of the crotch, rubbing of nipples, tongue gestures, men hugging and kissing one another passionately, many of them wearing make-up and dressed like women. Although the firefighters were not physically assaulted, the gestures were clearly directed towards them.

The so-called “Gay Pride” parade took place on July 21, 2007 in San Diego. On July 20, 2007, the four firefighters in question were told by their superiors that they would be participating in the parade. All four repeatedly protested that they did not wish to participate. In the past, firefighters that participated in the parade generally did so on a volunteer basis. On the morning of July 21, 2007, however, these same four firefighters were ordered into their uniforms and made to participate in the parade in their fire truck. The firefighters were left with the Hobson’s choice of either violating their conscience or being disciplined for disobeying a direct order.

Notice that 'tolerance' is no longer enough. Approval and now PARTICIPATION is required.

While on the parade route, the firefighters were subjected to the most vulgar kinds of sexual harassment. To quote one of the firefighters: “You could not even look at the crowd without getting some type of sexual gesture.” This firefighter further added, “If any crew member were to hang up pictures at the station of what we saw, we would be disciplined.”

Local papers reporting on the parade made no mention of the lewd and offensive behavior that characterized the parade.

Do they ever? There is a virtual blackout of reporting among mainstream media of anything that reflects badly on homosexuality or homosexuals.

...Fire Chief, Tracy Jarman, an open lesbian, stated, “This is a fun event and all employees are encouraged to participate.”

Fun? Being the butt of obscene jokes and crude gestures is fun? For whom?

The Constitutional right of association and conscience are trampled for a bit of 'fun.'

This is becoming more and more common as an increasing number of corporate and government employers adopt an actively pro-homosexual stance and expect their employees to do the same. Bible believing Christians are forced to choose between loyalty to Christ and financial security...

Whom will we serve?

Please read the rest of this story.