Kevin Cochran spent his childhood dreaming about the day he would become a firefighter. This year, the Atlanta fire chief was forced to watch his career crumble after authoring a devotional book. In one section of the book, Cochran briefly mentioned his opinions on homosexuality and stated his belief that marriage is intended for a man and a woman. When Cochran was accused of distributing the book to staff, Atlanta’s mayor,Kasim Reed, condemned Cochran on his official Facebook page and suspended him without pay. Cochran was subsequently fired. In February 2015, Alliance Defending Freedom filed a lawsuit against the city of Atlanta and Mayor Reed on behalf of Cochran. Although an internal investigation conducted by city officials concluded Cochran was innocent of discrimination, the city upheld his termination. Photo: Kevin Cochran
