Ousted Atlanta Fire Chief Has His Day in Court

Former Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran had his first hearing in his lawsuit against the city of Atlanta after being fired for expressing his religious views in a Bible study book he authored.

Once one of the highest ranked fire officials in the country, Cochran has now seen his career ripped away from him.

City officials are seeking to get the case dismissed, but the federal judge did not immediately make a decision on whether Cochran's complaint will move forward.

Chief Cochran dedicated 34 years of his life to serving in the public fire department. He was appointed Atlanta Fire Chief in 2008.

"It's faith and patriotism that caused me to be a firefighter in the first place," Cochran said.

Last November, however, he was abruptly terminated from his dream job after a complaint was sent to a gay city councilman, who then brought the matter to the attention of Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.

The complaint involved a passage in the book about biblical views of sex - including statements against homosexuality - using terms like perversion, inappropriate, and unclean.

The complaint stated that the passage was offensive.

"For that faith to lead to all the career successes that I've had, to ultimately conclude or end my career by expressing it in a book is just unthinkable in the United States of America," Cochran explained.

Cochran asked permission from the Atlanta Ethics Department before writing the faith-based book and he only distributed it to coworkers who he had already established a relationship with as believers.

He even gave a copy to Mayor Reed, who congratulated him on writing it and promised to read it.

Cochran was shocked to learn his book would be offensive to anybody.

"It was such a shock to everyone that it would occur and that it would be so abrupt," he said.

The city launched an investigation to find out if coworkers felt Cochran had created a discriminatory environment, including possible discrimination against gays.

The investigation found that he hadn't, but Mayor Reed fired Cochran, claiming he would not tolerate discrimination of any kind in his administration.

In February of this year, Cochran filed a lawsuit against the city of Atlanta, saying he had been wrongfully fired.

Cochran is fighting to prove that Americans should not have to live in fear of being terminated from their jobs for expressing their religious beliefs.

David Cortman, one of the lawyers defending Cochran, says this is not just a fight about vindicating the chief, but rather a fight to protect every American's right to freedom of speech.

"The reason this case is so important to everyone is we have the federal government telling someone if you don't agree with their views, with their orthodoxy, you are not fit to hold a position, to make a living. That should worry everyone," Cortman said.

Cochran saud his former coworkers are afraid to express their support or reactions because of fear of the potential consequences.

"They can't say 'I believe like Chief Cochran believes' for fear that they will be terminated as well," Cochran said. "No American should have to choose between living out their faith and keeping their job."

Since his termination, faith communities in the Atlanta area and around the country have given the Cochran family a tremendous outpouring of love and support.

He asks for continued prayer for the mayor and the city, as well as for strength for his wife and children.

"I've never felt that I was in this all by myself, not for a moment," Cochran said.

Cochran said he stays positive by believing that all suffering is for the glory of God, and that he wouldn't be going through this if God had not prepared him for it.