Days after a story with images of him donning women’s clothes and cosmetics appeared on a local conservative news website, the pastor and mayor of a tiny town in Alabama committed suicide on Friday.
During a welfare check, F.L. “Bubba” Copeland, the pastor of First Baptist Church in Phenix City and the mayor of Smiths Station, shot himself in front of the police, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
The conservative site 1819 News, whose top editor used to contribute to Breitbart News and was once controlled by the right-wing Alabama Policy Institute, made Copeland’s personal life public on Wednesday.
Craig Monger’s essay included a rambling headline: “The secret life of F.L. “Bubba” Copeland, Baptist pastor and mayor of Smiths Station, as a transgender curvy girl.” “I do this as a hobby to decompress.”
Copeland’s Reddit and Instagram usernames were made public by 1819 News, which also stated that he had been seen posing “in various outfits, some more racy than others.” The blog also claimed that Copeland offered information on chemically transitioning as well as porn under the alias “Brittini Blaire Summerlin.”
According to the site, Republican Copeland acknowledged managing the accounts and described them as a “hobby” he did to “get rid of stress.” Despite the fact that Copeland does not seem to have taken any positions against LGBTQ issues in public that may be seen as hypocritical, 1819 News said that they outed him despite his request not to.
1819 News reported on Copeland’s suicide in a brief, byline-free item that ran on Friday.
In 2016, Copeland was chosen to serve as mayor of Smiths Station, a town of roughly 5,000 people located close to the Georgia state line. When a series of tornadoes devastated the region in 2019 and then-President Donald Trump paid a visit, he shot to national prominence. Copeland campaigned for reelection in 2020 using a photo of herself with Trump.
Copeland’s extracurricular activities swiftly became a contentious issue in the neighborhood. In a statement, his church called the behavior “unbiblical,” and Copeland allegedly informed his parishioners that the story did not reflect “who or what I am.” It would “not cause my life to change,” he continued.
“My commitment to my family, my community, and my church will not be compromised,” Copeland declared on Wednesday before delivering his farewell sermon, which was broadcast live on the internet.
Married Copeland claimed he was the target of an “internet attack.” “A lot of things were taken out of context,” he continued, and “hundreds and hundreds, hundreds and hundreds of people” had gotten in touch with him to express their support.
He admitted, “Yeah, I have taken private home photos with my wife in an attempt at humor because I know I’m not a beautiful woman or a handsome man, either.” “I am sorry if my personal life has embarrassed you in any way.”
On Friday, the outrage took a terrible turn when Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones claimed that deputies who attempted to pull Copeland over for a welfare check saw Copeland get out of his car and shoot himself.
A representative from First Baptist Church of Phenix City directed The Daily Beast to a statement that was uploaded on the church’s Facebook page early on Saturday. Seemingly as a tribute to Copeland, the church updated its cover photo and profile to a black-and-white image.
The church added, “Thank you all for your prayers & expressions of sympathy and support.” “We ask that you pray for Pastor Bubba Copeland’s family today and in the coming days most of all.”
In response to a since-deleted tweet, Monger defended his reporting on X, formerly Twitter, saying, “‘Digging up someone’s personal life’ is reporting on what someone puts publicly on social media? Interesting viewpoint.
Monger responded to criticism in a different post, writing, “The kiddy table of Alabama media says that pictures uploaded to Reddit are now deemed ‘private.'”
After Copeland committed suicide, Monger did not post.
In a Facebook post, Phenix City School Superintendent Larry DiChiara, who claimed to be an old friend of Copeland’s, expressed his sadness and rage.
He begged, “Please be patient with me while I vent.” “I am heartbroken and furious right now. Over the past three days, I have seen a fine man publically mocked and crucified, to the point where he took his own life today.
After Copeland was outed on Wednesday, DiCharia stated he had given him his “support and encouragement,” and Copeland had admitted to having some “dark days.”
“I just want to know, are you pleased now, those who found it funny to make fun of him in public? What offense had he committed? I get nauseous from some of you people,” DiCharia continued. “I hope you’re incredibly happy. I pray that God would bless your spirit and pardon those who enjoyed your agony on behalf of our brother, F.L. Bubba Copeland. Everybody should feel embarrassed!