An Alabama mayor and Baptist pastor took his own life after being released for allegedly dressing up as a “transgender curvy girl.”
Smiths Station Mayor FL ‘Bubba’ Copeland, 62, died by suicide on Friday after details of his ‘alter ego’ Brittini Blaire Summerlin were shared online.
The Phoenix City pastor posted photos of himself in women’s clothing, trans porn and erotic fiction fantasizing about his transition.
The supermarket owner’s ‘hobby’ was exposed by a conservative news site last week, prompting the father of three to tell congregants he was the subject of an ‘internet attack’.
‘The article is not who or what I am (…) ‘I apologize for the embarrassment caused by my private and personal life becoming public. This isn’t going to change my life. This will not diminish my commitment to my family, serving my city and serving my church,” Copeland said.
Alabama Mayor FL Bubba Copeland took his own life on Friday after details of his alter ego as a ‘trans curvy girl’ were published
A conservative website published photos of Copeland in women’s clothing and makeup, as well as erotic fiction in which he wrote about killing a local woman and assuming her identity
Copeland was a community pillar who was praised by President Trump for his handling of a tornado in the area in 2019
Copeland shot himself with a handgun following a slow chase by police after they were called for a welfare check.
The First Baptist Church of Phoenix City has since been in mourning and changed its Facebook profile picture to a black ribbon.
Images posted by 1819 showed Copeland dressed in women’s clothing and makeup, while excerpts of his writings revealed him writing about murdering a local businesswoman and assuming her identity.
The website also alleged that Copeland posted photos of minors on Reddit as part of memes about the transition.
In one, images of a local brother and sister were used to make it appear as if the boy had transitioned, the outlet reported.
During a sermon on Wednesday prior to his death, Copeland apologized to his flock and told them his wife was aware of his activities.
“Yes, I took pictures with my wife in the privacy of our home in an attempt at humor because I know I’m not a good-looking man or a beautiful woman either,” Copeland said.
The Southern Baptist Convention, which is reportedly no longer affiliated with Copeland’s parish, said it has received allegations of “unbiblical behavior.”
Phoenix City pastor apologized in a statement to his congregation just days before his death for “any embarrassment” caused by his behavior
Copeland said his wife was aware of his alter ego and that it did not affect his saintly life
Supporters question whether Copeland should have been “outed” as he appears to have never expressed anti-LGBTQ views despite his Baptist faith.
However, the Alabama Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, of which Copeland’s church is a member, stated that the issue was “between pastor and church.”
Attitudes toward LGBTQ issues within baptism vary, but many do have a conservative agenda.
However, Copeland appears never to have publicly espoused anti-LGBTQ or right-wing conservative views.
Hemant Mehta, writes a religion blog Friendly atheistreiterated this fact and wondered why the first piece had ever appeared if “there is no evidence of hypocrisy.”
Known as a pillar of the local community, Copeland met with President Trump in 2019, who praised him for handling a devastating tornado that ripped through the city.
After his death, church member Dan Elkins said he was forced to delete hateful comments on his Facebook page over the past three days.
“He was far from perfect, but he was my pastor, my friend and my brother. And in the midst of my anger about this whole situation, tonight my heart is absolutely broken,” he said.
“By no means am I ignoring accountability, but there must be love and care, not contempt and judgment.”