An Alabama mayor and Baptist pastor took his own life after being outed for allegedly dressing up as a “transgender curvy girl.”
The mayor of Smiths Station, Florida, “Bubba” Copeland, 62, died by suicide on Friday after details about his “alter ego” Brittini Blaire Summerlin emerged online.
The Phenix City pastor posted photos of himself in women’s clothing, trans porn, and erotic novels in which he fantasized about transitioning.
The grocery store owner’s “hobby” was exposed by a conservative news site last week, prompting the father of three to tell community members that he was the subject of an “internet attack.”
“The article is not about who or what I am.” […] “I apologize for any embarrassment that may have arisen from my personal life and personal life that has become public.” This will not change my life. “This will not affect my dedication to my family, service to my city and my church,” Copeland said.
Alabama, Florida Mayor Bubba Copeland took his own life on Friday after details about his “transcurvy girl” alter ego were released
A conservative website published photos of Copeland in women’s clothing and makeup, as well as erotic novels in which he wrote about killing a local woman and assuming her identity
Copeland was a pillar of the community who was praised by President Trump for his handling of a tornado in the region in 2019
Copeland shot himself with a pistol after police slowly pursued him after being called to a welfare check.
The First Baptist Church of Phenix City has since mourned and changed its Facebook profile picture to a black ribbon.
Pictures published in 1819 showed Copeland in women’s clothing and makeup, while excerpts from his writings showed him writing erotic novels about killing a local businesswoman and assuming her identity.
The site also claimed that Copeland posted photos of minors on Reddit as part of memes about transitioning.
In one case, images of a local brother and sister were used to make it appear as if the boy had gone through a transition, the outlet reports.
During a sermon on the Wednesday before his death, Copeland apologized to his congregation and told them his wife was aware of his activities.
“Yes, I took photos with my wife in the privacy of our home to show humor because I know I am neither a good-looking man nor a beautiful woman,” Copeland said.
The Southern Baptist Convention, which is reportedly no longer affiliated with the Copeland congregation, said it had received allegations of “unbiblical behavior.”
The Phenix City pastor apologized for “any embarrassment” his behavior had caused in a statement to his congregation days before his death
Copeland said his wife was aware of his alter ego and it had no impact on his holy life
Advocates question whether Copeland should have “comed out” since he apparently never expressed anti-LGBTQ views despite his Baptist faith
However, the Alabama Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, of which Copeland’s church is a member, said the matter was “between the pastor and the church.”
Attitudes toward LGBTQ issues within baptism vary, but many promote a conservative agenda.
However, Copeland appears to have never publicly expressed anti-LGBTQ or right-wing conservative views.
Hemant Mehta, writing at the religion blog Friendly Atheist, reiterated this fact and questioned why the first article was ever published 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 his handling of a devastating tornado that ripped through the city.
After his death, church member Dan Elkins said he had been forced to remove hateful comments on his Facebook page for 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 over this whole situation, I’m just heartbroken tonight,” he said.
“I am in no way ignoring/discriminating responsibility – but it must be done with love and care, not contempt and judgment.”