Atlanta’s mayor defends sacking city Fire Chief over anti-gay comments

The Mayor of Atlanta has defended his decision to fire the city’s Fire Chief for making anti-gay comments.

Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran was sacked this week following the discovery of anti-gay comments in his book Who Told You That You Were Naked, where he describes homosexuality as “a sexual perversion,” “unclean” and vulgar.”

Some critics had claimed that Cochran’s firing was against his “religious freedom,” however Mayor Kasim Reed has refused to back down, arguing that religion had nothing to with his decision.

“This is about how we treat one another,” said the Mayor during a press conference on Tuesday (January 6). “And so those folks who are calling me and telling me I should retain him. I just want you to know one thing. His religious decisions are not the basis of the problem. His judgment is the basis of the problem.”

Watch him defend his decision below:

Meanwhile, the former Fire Chief has refused to apologise for his comments, arguing that those with religious views should “have the right” to express them without fear of punishment.

“I’m not apologetic for writing the book. Everything I wrote in the book is based on scriptures, not my opinions,” Cochran told reporters.

“LGBT citizens deserve the right to express their belief regarding sexual orientation and deserve to be respected for their position without hate and discrimination, but Christians also have the right to express their beliefs as well,” he added.

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