Political and religious leaders are planning to deliver petitions signed by tens of thousands demanding an apology from a Georgia city after a police officer claimed he felt pressured to resign because of his religious views.
Former Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga., who now serves as senior adviser to Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, will join multiple pastors and an Atlanta fire chief who was allegedly fired for his faith to give the petition to the leaders of Port Wentworth on March 10, according to a press release from the Family Research Council.
The petition calls on the mayor and city council to apologize for their treatment of former Officer Jacob Kersey, 20, who quit the police department in January after he was placed on paid administrative leave upon refusing to remove a personal Facebook post regarding his Christian belief about marriage.
“God designed marriage,” Kersey wrote in the post that was flagged by his superiors following an anonymous complaint, according to a Jan. 13 letter of notification he received. “Marriage refers to Christ and the church. That’s why there’s no such thing as homosexual marriage.”
GEORGIA COP, 19, RESIGNS AFTER SUSPENSION FOR RELIGIOUS POST ON GAY MARRIAGE: ‘DANGEROUS PRECEDENT’
Kersey, whose lawyers at First Liberty Institute fired off a letter to the City of Port Wentworth and its police department last month, told Fox News Digital the petition has surpassed 30,000 signatures as of Tuesday.
Kersey was not fired but explained to Fox News Digital in January how he felt compelled to resign after being told he could face termination for future social media posts that others might find offensive.
ATLANTA FIRE CHIEF: I WAS FIRED BECAUSE OF MY CHRISTIAN FAITH
Stories like mine are on the rise. We need to be prepared, and our congregations need to be prepared.
Days after Kersey’s resignation drew national attention, Port Wentworth Police Chief Matthew W. Libby announced…
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