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

A small-town Alabama pastor and mayor killed himself Friday, days after a local conservative news website published a story that included photos of him wearing women’s clothing and makeup.

F.L. “Bubba” Copeland, who was the mayor of Smiths Station and the pastor at First Baptist Church in Phenix City, shot himself in front of police during a welfare check, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said.

Copeland’s private life was exposed Wednesday by the conservative blog 1819 News, which was once owned by the right-wing Alabama Policy Institute and whose top editor is a former Breitbart News contributor.

  • Boddhisatva@lemmy.world
    516·
    1 year ago

    The cognitive dissonance from being a transitioning person and a Republican politician at the same time must be agonizing.

      • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
        151·
        1 year ago

        True, but the article did indicate that they were posting as a trans woman. Maybe she’s trans, maybe he’s a cis crossdresser, either way what did they expect.

    • insomniac_lemon@kbin.social
      18·
      1 year ago

      Also religious in the deep south AND a pastor. He must’ve been seeing Green-Goblin hallucinations but with Kenneth Copeland instead of Willem Dafoe.

    • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
      101·
      1 year ago

      If you read the original article (the one that prompted his suicide), the guy explicitly said that he didn’t feel female. He was just a crossdresser.

    • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
      2·
      1 year ago

      The problem with people is that some are idiots. Regardless of what group you’re in you’ve got some really stupid assholes. Or as their fellow republicans will see them: useful idiots