But the relationship soured in Nov. 2014 when city councilmember Alex Wan, an LGBT advocate, showed Reed a half-page portion of Cochran’s book, Who Told You That You Were Naked? The passage, which criticized homosexual sex, was part of a six-page section that denounced extramarital and premarital sexual activity as well, labeling all sex outside of marriage between a man and woman as unbiblical. An unnamed fire department employee had complained to Wan that he disagreed with that section of the book and wanted Cochran reported to “upper management,” according to the lawsuit.

A district court judge denied the City of Atlanta’s request to dismiss a wrongful termination lawsuit filed against it in early 2015 by former Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed fired the decorated employee after learning Cochran self-published a men’s devotional that presented a biblical view of sexuality.

“My faith—the very faith that caused me to get my job—ultimately has cost me my job,” Cochran said, adding he lost his “childhood dream come true” of being a firefighter.

Cochran rose through the firehouse ranks to become Atlanta’s fire chief, serving from 2008-2009. He then served as President Barack Obama’s administrator of the United States Fire Administration in Washington, D.C. In 2010, at the request of Reed, Cochran returned to Atlanta to serve as fire chief once again. He remained at the post until he was fired in Jan. 2015.

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