The city of Atlanta has non-discrimination laws in place designed to protect people of all stripes against those who would discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as race, color, creed, religion, sex, marital status, parental status, familial status, national origin, age, and disability. It's all there on the city's website for everyone to see. So why was the city's fire chief investigated, and eventually fired, for expressing his beliefs about marriage?
Former chief Kelvin Cochran is a deeply religious man who decided to write a devotional book intended for like-minded Christian men. The book contained comments regarding Cochran's view of marriage as it relates to his Christian beliefs. Because that view is deemed politically incorrect, an investigation was launched more than a year and a half after the fact, eventually resulting in Cochran's suspension and firing.
Mayor Kasim Reed claims that Cochran was not fired because of his religious beliefs. Rather, he says he fired the 2012 Fire Chief of the Year for two reasons: not getting his permission before publishing the book and not keeping quiet about the ensuing investigation. Despite Reed's defense, this sure sounds like a case of religious discrimination to me.
Remember, the laws of the city of Atlanta prevent any employer from discriminating against an employee based on his or her religion. Mayor Reed said last year that he was opening an investigation of Cochran because his religious beliefs are inconsistent with the city's employment policies. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the investigation turned up no evidence that Cochran discriminated against anyone, in any way.
Other Side of the Story
Kelvin Cochran's side of the story differs from that of the Mayor. He says he spoke with city ethics officer Nina Hickson who gave him verbal permission to write his book. Cochran also provided a printed copy to Mayor Reed, who acknowledged its receipt in January of 2014. It was not until the end of the year that Cochran was suspended and the investigation against him launched. What took so long?
Cochran does acknowledge speaking to the press during the investigation despite being told by Reed not to do so. The Mayor now says that Cochran's public comments open the city up to future discrimination suits which, apparently, Reed can't afford to see happen. In saying that he fired Cochran based on the former Fire Chief's judgment, Reed acknowledged he has no tolerance for those who speak out against discrimination when it is in a form deemed politically incorrect by the powers that be.
Religious Discrimination Now En Vogue
What happened to Kelvin Cochran in Atlanta has upset firefighters all across the country, and rightly so. To have one of the best Fire Chief's in America terminated under such conditions underscores the tensions that have long existed between first responders and the politicians who hire and fire them. Nevertheless, this issue goes far deeper than Kelvin Cochran and the Atlanta Fire Department. It goes to the heart of discrimination.
Multiple groups have fought long and hard for generations to secure the right to believe, think, and say whatever they want. Even today, the very groups that are offended by Mr. Cochran's marriage stance would be up in arms if one of their own was fired for publishing a book critical of religious faith. Yet it is apparently okay to deny a man with conservative religious views employment because his views are politically incorrect.
It would be one thing if Cochran had discriminated against potential hires or current firefighters in violation of the laws of Atlanta. However, he did no such thing. He wrote about his views on marriage in a book intended to be read voluntarily by those who share similar beliefs.
We are quickly reaching a point of critical mass in this country where viewpoint discrimination is concerned. We are rapidly becoming a nation of people whose thoughts and beliefs are under attack by the very people who have sworn to protect them. Anyone who does not hold the politically correct view on anything from marriage to immigration is now in the crosshairs of activist groups, politicians, and judges who have no problem legislating from the bench.
Whether you agree with Kelvin Cochran's stand on marriage or not, you should be alarmed. We must all stand up for Cochran's right to say what he believes even if we do not agree with it. If he can be silenced, so can the rest of us.
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