NASHVILLE, TN – Today, Independent Women Features (IW Features), the grassroots storytelling and original journalism arm of Independent Women, is sharing the story of Captain Tracy Turner, a Nashville firefighter who endured opposition and legal battles with the city after expressing his political beliefs that went against the progressive agendas in his department.
Turner’s battle for free expression began in 2018, when the Nashville Fire Department (NFD) introduced special-edition Pride-themed T-shirts and announced the proceeds would be donated to the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP), a leftist advocacy organization that works to advance the LGBTQ+ agenda in Tennessee. According to Turner, the pro-LGBT effort by the Nashville Fire Department was spearheaded by Joseph Pleasant, a public information officer, community manager, and former investigative reporter hired by NFD in 2017.
When Turner expressed opposition to the policy, arguing the department should not be involved in promoting any particular social or political cause, he did not anticipate the scrutiny and unjust disciplinary actions that would come against him.
Two years later, Turner was targeted again — this time over social media posts that were critical of Black Lives Matter. Following three disciplinary meetings, Turner received unjust punishment based on vague charges: a six-month demotion from captain to firefighter — the lowest rank — and a two-year ban on bidding for a new station.
Turner filed suit, alleging his First Amendment rights had been violated. Eventually, Turner’s case went to trial, where Turner said the jury “saw through all of it. The chiefs, Pleasant, all of them, were caught in lies.” The jury—clearly frustrated by the deception uncovered during the trial—delivered a far more stunning verdict: $1.7 million in damages, plus attorney’s fees.
Now that the settlement is behind him, Turner hopes to return to normalcy, and he is hopeful that his case will bring vindication for other firefighters who have experienced unjust treatment for their political views. Turner said, “Firemen are starting to get a little more … verbal,” since the outcome of his settlement.
Andrea Mew, managing editor for IW Features, said: “The $1.7 million verdict against the city of Nashville isn’t just a legal victory for Tracy Turner, it’s a historic lesson learned for government officials who think they can punish people for holding the ‘wrong’ opinion. This was never about policy violations, it was about silencing a man for wrongthink while others were given a pass for far worse. Turner’s courage in standing up to a system that silenced him and sought to destroy his career sends a message loud and clear: free speech is not negotiable in America.”
Read Turner’s full profile on IW Features: Burned by the System: Fire Captain Tracy Turner’s Fight for Free Expression.
Read more stories from those discriminated against for their beliefs as told by IW Features in “Unfairly Cancelled”
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