A Baptist pastor and mayor in Alabama shot himself in front of police officers Friday after a news article exposed him as an alleged “transgender curvy girl,” according to multiple reports.
A “slow” car pursuit began after police received a call that F.L. “Bubba” Copeland may need a welfare check, WTVM reported, citing the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. Copeland then pulled over on the highway, exited the car and killed himself with a handgun, per the outlet.
The outlet 1819 News published a story Nov. 1 that shared screenshots of a private Instagram account and multiple Reddit posts allegedly showing Copeland posing in women’s clothing and makeup. The article alleged Copeland could be seen posing in lingerie and calling himself a “thick transgender woman.” He allegedly encouraged other transgender people to get cross-sex hormones and wrote transgender erotica.
Copeland later confirmed to 1819 he controlled the social media account and that it was him in the pictures, the outlet reported. Copeland said it was a way of “getting rid of stress” and “purely fiction,” according to 1819. (RELATED: Field Hockey Player Calls For Change After Male Knocks Girl’s Teeth Out In ‘Traumatic’ Incident)
Copeland later addressed his alleged secret identity in a Wednesday night service, saying, “I have nothing to be ashamed of. A lot of things that were said were taken out of context.” He added the photos were taken out of an “attempt of humor.”
“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,” Copeland continued. “I apologize for any embarrassment caused by my private, personal life that has come publicly.”
Another 1819 article alleged Copeland wrote erotic fiction about local residents and posted pictures of them without their consent that offered explicit commentary. Ansley Summerlin alleged Copeland used her identity and that she appeared on multiple porn sites without her consent, 1819 reported.
Copeland told a friend the day before he died that he’d been dealing with “dark days,” NBC News reported.
Trans activists are mourning the suicide of an Alabama politician who they say was “involuntarily outed” as a “trans woman.”
Smiths Station Mayor F.L. “Bubba” Copeland had written erotic fantasies about killing a local woman and assuming her identity.https://t.co/lO9g8r4jgo
— REDUXX (@ReduxxMag) November 4, 2023
“We have become aware of the alleged unbiblical behavior related to the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Phenix City,” Alabama Baptist state leadership said after the 1819 story about the pastor’s alleged transgender identity, according to WTVM.
“We are praying for the leaders of the church family as they seek to determine the truth concerning these accusations. As the people of God, we pray for the pastor and his family as well. We are in consultation with the Russell Baptist Association’s leadership as they endeavor to assist the First Baptist family during this critical time of need.”
Copeland is survived by his wife, son and two daughters, according to an obituary.