Mayor Commits Suicide After Conservative Website Publishes Photos of Him in Women’s Clothing
WRBL
An Alabama mayor and pastor committed suicide days after a conservative news outlet published photos of him wearing women’s clothing.
On Wednesday, 1819 News ran a story recounting the record of Smiths Station Mayor Bubba Copeland, including a meeting with then-President Donald Trump in the town in 2019 after a storm hit the area.
“However, during this time, he also had a secret life playing out online on social media and Reddit,” said the piece, written by Craig Monger. “Smiths Station’s mayor operated social media accounts as a transgender woman under the pseudonym Brittini Blaire Summerlin.”
The article contains several racy photos from Copeland’s social media accounts where he posted under the pseudonym. Monger interviewed Copeland, who said the posts were ways of “getting rid of stress.”
“After the interview, Copeland promptly deleted the accounts and asked them not to be made public due to his family and position as a pastor,” the reporter wrote.
Copeland addressed his Baptist congregation on Wednesday night, stating he was the victim of an “internet attack.”
“Yes, I have taken pictures with my wife in the privacy of our home in an attempt of humor because I know I’m not a handsome man nor a beautiful woman either,” he said. “I apologize for any embarrassment caused by my private, personal life that has come publicly.”
In response, Baptist leaders in Alabama issued a statement saying they had “become aware of the alleged unbiblical behavior.”
On Friday evening, police said they received a request for a welfare check on the married father of three. After locating him, a “slow pursuit was initiated with the mayor’s vehicle.” Eventually, Copeland pulled over.
“He exited the vehicle, produced a handgun and took his own life,” the sheriff’s office stated.
Hours before Copeland’s death, Hemant Mehta, who runs the popular religion blog Friendly Atheist, noted that Copeland did not appear to have bigoted views toward transgender people or people who simply enjoy cross-dressing.
“There’s a story making the rounds about an Alabama preacher/mayor who secretly dresses in drag and adopts the persona of a trans woman on social media,” Mehta tweeted. “The problem? It’s not clear he’s a hypocrite. If he’s not a bigot, why is he being outed?”
The Alabama-focused 1819 News is a conservative outlet. In August, Steve Bannon called it “a fantastic site.” Jeff Poor, the editor-in-chief of the publication, previously worked for Breitbart.
