Bubba Copeland shot himself in front of police on Friday, days after he begged 1819 News not to expose his private life.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    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?”

    https://www.mediaite.com/news/mayor-commits-suicide-after-conservative-website-publishes-photos-of-him-in-womens-clothing/

    • unoriginalsin@lemmy.world
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      Mehta tweeted. “The problem? It’s not clear he’s a hypocrite. If he’s not a bigot, why is he being outed?”

      Maybe we shouldn’t be outing anyone. One’s personal sexuality isn’t anybody else’s business. Even if one is a bigot.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I think there is a good argument to be made for outing someone closeted who is using their power to oppress LGBT+ people, but there is also a trend of labeling any homophobic politician as being in the closet when a lot of them are just plain old bigots.

      • downpunxx@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        nah, if you’re an elected political official with power over other peoples lives, and you’re a bigot, it’s open fuckin season, and i’d recommend outting every single last goddamned one of them

          • downpunxx@kbin.social
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            1 year ago

            All Republicans are hypocritical bigots, by definition. It’s the core of their political party, it’s who they signed up to be identified with, it’s who they are, or in the case of this poor bigoted fuck, were. I don’t want to see any “but this was a nice republican” bullshit. After the Southern Strategy in 1964, all Republicans are trash, every single one.

            Institutionalized racism, misogyny, homophobia, and white Christian separatism as party platform. No matter how “conservative” Republicans claimed to be, The Southern Strategy was the core value and singular driving force for the past 60 years. MAGA isn’t a symptom, it’s result.

            • Bizarroland@kbin.social
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              Maybe the politicians, I could agree with that, but most Republican voters are not on board with the southern strategy and all of this other stuff.

              All the majority know is that they hate Democrats, and that is why they vote the way they do. Human beings are creatures of habit after all.

              Besides, even if a group of people are doing bad things en masse, it’s ultimately counterproductive to lump the followers in with the leaders. It makes it harder for the followers to break from the leaders that are leading them down the wrong path.

              I am anti-republican politics, and I don’t get along with Republican voters, but I’m not going to call the guy at the gas station evil because he votes Republican because his dad voted Republican because his dad voted Republican.

              • FaceDeer@kbin.social
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                1 year ago

                “They don’t know what they’re voting for” is not a defense, frankly. If you’re truly ignorant of what a party stands for and you just can’t bring yourself to vote for their opponent, maybe don’t vote at all?

                If you vote Republican then you are “on board” with the southern strategy and all of this other stuff. That’s what voting signifies, that’s the whole point of voting. It’s a binding statement to the world that you want the person or group you’re voting for to be in charge, and in the case of Republicans we know very well what them being “in charge” entails.

              • LemmysMum@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                They aren’t evil, doesn’t stop them being ignorant, stupid, wrong, and detrimental to society. Ebola isn’t evil, but it’ll fuck up your life if you don’t kill it first.

                Republican voters are cancer, they might not want to kill you, but they will.

              • Nudding@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                I didn’t vote for the Nazis to kill the Jews, I just wanted my taxes lowered :(

        • SaltySalamander@kbin.social
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          Out the ones that could be a part of the ones who could effect change so they can be ousted and replaced by another run-of-the-mill Republican demon. Smart. Real big-brained move.

      • RIPandTERROR@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        1 year ago

        Mmmmmmmm… No, you know what? fuck that. You don’t get to be a bigot and then expect privacy in your own life. Response to even if one is a bigot

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        Imagine outing someone as straight. Essentially it’s a weird attempt to enforce a degree of group think

    • Tb0n3@sh.itjust.works
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      That’s the biggest problem with religion and hypocrisy. You’re all right being against everything that doesn’t concern you personally but as soon as it does suddenly it’s a problem.

    • nottheengineer@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      “The problem? It’s not clear he’s a hypocrite. If he’s not a bigot, why is he being outed?”

      Because every issue has exactly two sides nowadays. And this guy uses twitter, so he should have noticed that by now.

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        1 year ago

        That quote is ignoring the fact that it was his fellow conservatives who went after him to destroy his life. It is his fellow conservatives – the ones he chose to stand among and support – that enjoy this outcome.

        You cannot be surprised when bullies bully. And the people who hang out with bullies because it benefits them to do so? They are also bullies.

        And unfortunately, I think that’s exactly why you’re wrong. The issue isn’t partisanship. The issue is bigotry. These people outed him because they hate and want to destroy LGBT people. There’s no shades of grey here. There is no moderate position. This story happened even with no one from the opposite partisan position being involved.

        • Dkarma@lemmy.world
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          And he participated in that bullying for years himself.

          This guy was those guys. Dressing in drag doesn’t give him a pass.