November 7th 2023.
Mayor F.L. “Bubba” Copeland, a Smiths Station, AL, politician, committed suicide on Nov. 3, after pictures of him dressed as a woman were leaked to conservative website 1819 News.
The news of his death was met with shock and sadness in the small community. The First Baptist Church in Phenix City, where he was also the pastor, released a statement on Facebook asking for prayers for the Copeland family.
“We ask that you keep Pastor Bubba Copeland’s family in your prayers today and in the days ahead,” the statement read.
A friend told The Daily Mail that Copeland said he was experiencing some “dark days” before his suicide. The friend tried to offer some encouragement, but Copeland replied with “Thank you. It’s been some dark days.”
The mayor had also published four pieces of trans porn and erotic fiction, fantasizing about transitioning. On the day of his suicide, another story was published claiming how Copeland wrote violent fantasy fiction and posted pictures of people from his community on his Reddit page without consent.
Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones recalled Copeland called him to talk about the article.
“It was a friend calling a friend,” Jones said. “Let’s just say he was concerned about the article. I think ‘upset’ would be a good way of putting it.”
Law enforcement was called to perform a welfare check on him, with no sign of him being at his home or the market he owned. Eventually, he was spotted driving on a country road. After deputies flashed their lights for him to stop, Copeland pulled over, got out of the car, and shot himself.
Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones released a statement in honor of Copeland, saying, “It is sad and disgusting how he was treated by” 1819 News.
“I am so saddened at the death of my friend Mayor Bubba Copeland,” Jones wrote. “He was a good man and a great mayor who led the small town of Smith Station through the tough times of a devastating tornado a few years ago. I toured the destruction with him, helped him navigate the FEMA...”
Copeland was instrumental in assisting the town through the tough times following the tornado in 2019, and his funeral is set for Nov. 9 at First Baptist Church in Phenix City.
It is a tragedy that Copeland felt the need to take his own life. The way he was treated for simply expressing his truth was wrong, and we must strive to create a culture of acceptance and understanding for those who identify as gender non-conforming.
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