God, Gays, and FIRE!!!

So, there is this Fire Chief in Atlanta who was fired (I like the pun there) by the Mayor because he wrote a book where among other things, he called homosexuality a “perversion,” compared it to bestiality and pedophilia, and said homosexual acts are “vile, vulgar and inappropriate.” These beliefs of his are due to his religion (isn't that always the case?).

I've read a few articles from different papers with varying viewpoints since it became a story about a week ago and figured you all wanted my opinion about whether or not I agreed with this dismissal. You do want to know what I think, right??? Ok, fine I'll tell you.

My first reaction was that I disagreed with the decision and I'll tell you why. The articles stated that despite his views, Fire Chief Cochran showed no evidence that he "treated lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees unfairly during his tenure". So, this guy has been Fire Chief for 5 years over the past 6 (with one year in the middle working for the Federal Government) and no one had a problem with his views until now.

Another article caused me to tip in the other direction when it made a few points. The first being that if his religion had been disparaging of say, white people... Or black people... Or Christians... He would have been fired as well and no one would have had a problem with it in the slightest. Probably true. The second point was that though everyone is entitled to his own religious beliefs, public officials need to be held to a higher standard. Again, my first reaction is that I totally agree with this, but upon further review, I realize that I don't really. Because, what this means is that it's completely ok if this man hates gays, and I'm not saying he does, just that it would be ok if he does, as long as he never mentions it to anyone. How can that possibly be the right thing to do? Seems far better to me that a person informs us of his ethical standings whichever way they lean and then we judge him on his actions instead of his beliefs.

Hey, not a day goes by where I don't have murderous intent in my heart! But, I've never murdered anyone and highly doubt that I ever will. Should I be judged as a murderer or by my actual actions towards those I'd like to kill (which are often times quite kind for the simple reason that I'm a pretty nice fellow)? It reminds me of how we choose other public officials (or at least how I do it).

Just because a nominee says he feels one way or another about a certain subject may not necessarily be what his voting record shows. Do you select a representative based on what he 'says' or what he 'does'? And someone who is wishy-washy, whose actions might be swayed by the winds? That person would never be marked on my ballot. For good or for bad, I wanna know what people truly believe.

Look, I've written about prejudice before: We all have it. EVERY SINGLE PERSON makes judgments constantly in his life. We do it so often we don't recognize it. Did you choose eggs for breakfast this morning? You just made a judgment against cereal (among other things). Sound silly? It's absolutely not. Everyone is prejudiced. EVERYONE. The trick is not allowing your prejudices to affect your actions. Seems impossible? It's absolutely not. Why?

Well, in 6 years as Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran showed no evidence that he "treated lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees unfairly during his tenure".

So, to conclude, do I believe Cochran should have been fired?

YES!

Wha-huh???

Let me explain and it has absolutely nothing to do with anything that has been previously written. I don't think Cochran should be fired for his beliefs (even though I feel they are RESOUNDINGLY WRONG) and I don't think he should be fired for stating his beliefs loud and clear.

The investigation to determine if the publication of the book was authorized (which was the given reason for the Chief's termination and a subject I won't touch because I really don't care) uncovered this fact: "There was a consistent sentiment among the witnesses that firefighters throughout the organization are appalled by the sentiments expressed in the book".

And this fact, more than any other is reason enough for a firing. If a manager of over a thousand employees has lost the confidence of said employees, he or she should not be in that position. Period.

It's unfortunate, because, again, I don't feel he's being judged by his actions. But, if you're holding office of any sort and you choose to share your opinions (and I feel you should if you feel ethically bound) you run this risk, right or wrong.

Cochran chose to share his religious beliefs. Turns out a lot of people disagree with them. Maybe he should take a look at those beliefs and why people don't like them.

He should have plenty of time now while searching for a new job...