Alabama Mayor Kills Self After Right-Wing Blog Outs His Cross-Dressing
Alabama Mayor Kills Self After Right-Wing Blog Outs His Cross-Dressing
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.
This guy lived in hell. All of the intolerant values he surrounded himself with and I'm guessing intolerant people, and his embarrassment, shame, & shock of being outed led him to off himself rather than face those bigots & himself. Just because of a free noncriminal choice of dressing in a way that pleased him, done for himself.
Conservativism Kills.
I fully agree with your comment. That said:
Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said that deputies who tried to pull Copeland over for a welfare check witnessed Copeland step out of his car and shoot himself.
Why are we taking the word of the cops for what happened? We know the right-wingers don't distinguish between cross-dressers and pedophiles. We know that some of them find great satisfaction in abusing, torturing and even killing those that they consider "other". And we know that cops cover for other cops.
Yes, it's entirely possible and plausible that this guy killed himself, but why are we just blindly accepting the cops' version of events here?
I more or less trust the cops in this case. There's really no reason to say he killed himself if they killed him, and in doing so create a whole bunch of evidence to cover up. They could just as easily say he was armed and they were scared so they shot him. That's enough for them to get away with murder, so why would they put themselves in a position that could be proven as a lie later?
Never take a cops words at face value, but also recognize they can freely murder if they want to, so if they aren't taking credit for a kill, especially someone armed, they probably didn't do it.
This is ridiculous. You're assuming
1 That because they are officers, they are republican.
They may be, but that's one assumption.
2 That they are the kind of republican who equates cross dressing with pedophilia.
Happens, but it is another assumption.
3 They would act on that belief with murder. Of an elected official, on duty, on a welfare check.
Sure .. could happen. But you see why this is becoming less rational as we go right.
Yes, it's entirely possible that they killed someone because they cross dressed, but we just blindly accept this random comments version of events here?
Conservatism Kills.
Literally. Abortion bans increase maternal deaths, and a report by the ADL found that right-wing extremists are responsible for 75% of politically motivated deaths, compared to only 4% by left-wingers.
A review of the research on the ideological basis of political violence explains why conservatism is more deadly:
Whereas most terrorist attacks result in zero fatalities, casualties associated with attacks vary across instances. It is thus possible to examine whether followers of certain ideologies are more likely to use fatal violence, relative to, for instance, property or infrastructure crimes that do not cause deaths. Ideologies that more capably address individuals' needs should be more 'successful' at causing fatalities. Past research specifically suggests two candidate ideologies that are likely to be effective: ideologies on the political right (versus left) and religious (versus secular) ideologies. Analyses of terrorist attacks committed between 1998 and 2005 revealed that organizations subscribing to religious ideologies were the most likely to engage in lethal attacks and were responsible for a greater number of deaths. 'Leftist' groups were significantly less likely to kill than religious groups, and anarchist groups were the least likely to engage in lethal attacks. Eco-terrorists were responsible for zero lethal attacks during this period, so they were excluded from analyses. Religious ideology has also been found to increase the lethality of suicide attacks, whereas attacks perpetrated in US regions known for propagating a ‘culture of honor’ were more deadly than attacks perpetrated in other regions.
Why might this be the case? Conservatives are more likely to see the world in absolutist, dogmatic, and closure affording ways than are liberals. Conservatives are also more likely than liberals to moralize values that effectively promote violence. Conservatives value loyalty, authority, and sanctity. This is important, as research has further found that the sacralization of loyalty was positively related (whereas the sacralization of other values was either unrelated or negatively related) to the justification of violence. This suggests that conservative ideologies should have an easier time moralizing political violence than liberal ideologies.
Religious ideologies are similarly suited to addressing the previously outlined needs. Religious ideologies can provide greater certainty than secular ideologies because they rest on the authority of God. In addition, through the promise of a blessed afterlife to those who act as prescribed by the ideology, religion offers a potent avenue to significance that is unavailable to secular ideologies. Religion can more naturally moralize political values, as interpretations of Holy Scripture can convincingly link violent means to religious values and provide convincing rationale for acting on behalf of those injunctions. Furthermore, because religious ideologies cannot be directly verified, people are more reliant on social validation to demonstrate the correctness of their beliefs. Consequently, religious individuals tend to be collectivistic and are more prone to derogate and act with hostility toward adherents of other ideologies. Finally, religious fundamentalism—the form that religious ideology is likely to take among extremists—is positively related to the need for cognitive closure that foments group-centrism, and this relationship partially explains the derogation of outgroup members.
This is really sad. An alternative life for this guy is dressing the way he wants as appropriate to his activities that day and the only remarks are to compliment his outfit here and there. What a sad world those people have made for themselves.
lol, he wasn't a victim, dude was one of the minor demons, in a position of elected public office, as a republican, he held a pitchfork
This, in a nutshell, why people become conservative. Because shame and a toxic community keep them from being who they really want to be. Because they need to belong to something so badly that they'll even join a gang of bigots rather than admit they're actually the target of that bigotry.
"The party of personal freedoms"
Conservative blog 1819 must be very proud of themselves.
Edit: I just emailed them asking which Republican they plan on killing next. Will let you all know if I get a reply.
We need a RemindMe bot for things like what you're doing.
Poor guy. This is sad. I hate hearing stories like this
I wouldn’t feel as bad if he was a raging bigot about lgbtq issues, but apparently he didn’t have much to say about that which is pretty impressive for a BAPTIST PREACHER IN ALABAMA.
Yeah, he obviously dealt with a lot of cognitive dissonance between his experience and the culture he was raised in. He wasn’t some hypocrite who was preaching ‘family values’ or some other nonsense, just a tortured soul driven over the edge.
The world just lost another potential ally. He could have helped shape the discourse in his town for the better, but instead he’s being buried. This is a sad day.
poor poor racist republican, joined the republican party to hold down women, and minorities, didn't wanna get into the whole the leopards that eat faces party that i joined might eat my face should they find out i like wearing women's clothing, here, let me just defund another domestic violence shelter, nope, i'll be just fine
Actually, I looked more into his history and you know what I found? They (using neutral pronouns because there's confusion about whether or not they were actually trans or just cross-dressing) seemed to actually be a pretty cool person. They were very supportive of their trans sisters online and generally encouraging to them.
To be honest, that really isn't all that surprising. The smaller the town, the less likely it is for local party politics mirror state or federal politics. Normally this means small town politics tend to swing hard-right and either radical libertarian or authoritarian, but it sounds like in this case they probably wanted to be more supportive and inclusive and was possibly being held back by locals. The reality of it is that they were probably Republican because it was the only way to get elected, not because they agreed with the Republican party. Let's be honest here as well, does it really make sense that someone would be supportive of trans people and then turn around and demonize them?
Sometimes the only way you can make a difference is to walk through the leopards' cage and hope you don't get eaten before you reach the other side.
Finally, I'm not even fully convinced that they did kill themselves. Personally, I'll be waiting to see if any bodycam footage shows up. Small town cops only side with the mayor when they want something done, or when the mayor is actively supporting them, otherwise the mayor is just as much an enemy to them as anyone else.
Edit: it's also possible that they were a Republican before discovering their love for cross-dressing or desire to be trans, and they were stuck between a rock and a hard place. Because they were in a conservative area, it's entirely possible they were afraid for their life and or were so heavily indoctrinated by Republicans that they believed that they were the problem, not the party (though the latter doesn't explain why they were supportive of trans folk online); and considering they supposedly committed suicide in front of cops with no witnesses, it's entirely possible they were killed by cops and therefore justified in their fear. It's easy to forget or underestimate just how dangerous it is to be trans in America, especially if you're from a more liberal city.
The cognitive dissonance from being a transitioning person and a Republican politician at the same time must be agonizing.
Crossdressing isn't transexuality by itself.
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.
The person in question self described as transgender. It wasn't a guess.
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.
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
Phew. I was hoping he was a GOP member. Glad this story had a happy ending.
Fuck I just feel sorry for them
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS! If people won't listen to Jesus, maybe they can listen to his modern day apostle Fred Rogers when he said "I like you just the way you are."
maybe they can listen to his modern day apostle Fred Rogers when he said “I like you just the way you are.”
Right. That would be Presbyterian minister, children's show host, gave-out-full-size-candy-bars-at-Halloween Fred Rogers, yes? The one that Fox went out of their way to describe as "an evil, evil man" who was [in effect] responsible for corrupting today's youth? Well, sadly, I think I can explain why they don't listen to Mr. Rogers ...
They do listen to Jesus. Not the Middle-Eastern Jewish Socialist Jesus. They listen to white racist Conservative American Jesus, they listen to Supply Side Jesus, they listen to the Jesus who can fit a rich man through the eye of a needle and who's death gives them the right to sin.
Trickle-down Jesus, with an exceptionally wide stance.
As a reminder, this is what they had to say about Mr. Rogers.
It takes a special kind of hate to call Mr. Rogers "evil."
I checked the conservative site so you don't have to: yes the inciting article is still up, and no there isn't a comment section
No, but their Instagram is open to comments and is receiving them.
I checked the bird site so you don’t have to: yes the inciting article is being shared by people on both sides. The comments are almost solely defending his suicide and the hatred that sparked it.
"he shot himself in front of us" -trustworthy police
I'm absolutely horrified by so many folks in the comment section blinded by partisan hate.
Welp, conservatives fucking suck.
It’s even worse than that. No one knows the story at all but they all have a fully developed opinion from reading the headline.
Maybe some of the locals whose children he posted to pornographic websites won’t miss him.
Maybe the local businesswoman he obsessed over while he wrote stories about killing her, seducing her husband, and stealing her life won’t miss him.
It is scary how easy it is to get people to rally over things they know nothing about. I’m not holier than thou either. I’ve caught myself reacting before thinking.
Edit: I want to make it clear that I wish this person had got help. I definitely feel empathy for this person, I just don’t think that the cross dressing is the primary issue here. This person was public figure posting deranged and terrible things online using real people from his town as objects of fantasy.
Republicans love stuff like this. If you're different they think you should die.
Conservative = death cult
Pity; if he lived in a progressive city, he could've gotten help for whatever underlying issues he had with depression and such, and learned to accept his gender expressions as something beautiful and not shameful. Plus we have excellent drag venues...
[Note: this comment was made before discovering the individual identified as "transgender curvy girl" online, and so was quite likely transfem.]
Repression is the cause of much suffering.
One of the sad things is how big he's smiling in the picture. Looks like a jolly guy.
But doctor, I am Pagliacci...
I actually got that reference, and I appreciate it.
This is extremely sad. His own GOP community first outed him, then rejected him.
Outed him and if you know anything about Southern Baptist, they killed him too.
True!
charge the owners of the blog with 3rd degree murder.
Christofascism is on the rise - "I sleep"
"Journalist" claims I wear dresses - "I guess I'll just die then"
"Copeland" more like "Donecopingland"
Hate post》skip if you want to save yourself some time
What a bunch of retarded mother fuckers. They have so much fear of being who they are around the people they align themselves with, that they will literally anhero themselves the second anything comes out about them that they and the rest of the party isn't doing themselves; or have built such a strong vindictive campaign against a community against, that they take their own lives out of guilt. Crossdressing? Dead. Outed gay? Dead. Dating someone who's friends with gays, needs baptism by fire. Not Christian?Avoided. Fucking kids? God forgives. Beating kids? God forgives. Killing kids? The jury is out. Hears out the other side? Crucified. Dissagrees with problems within their own party? Needs to die. Supporting the businesses of murdering/abandoning children? Political points. Hate speech and dillusional manipulation of the angry and mentally unstable base that follows them? BIG political boost. Be revealed as the person you really are, after you've sold your soul to a hateful political party you know will crucify you for being the thing they target for sensational political favor? Fucking anhero quick.
Why? What's the point? What is the point, the ultimate goal, of building a pyre of political beliefs that will scorch the entirety of everything around you and the weell-being of the future of those and many more to come? Especially when you know it goes against who you really are deep down, and how it may affect you if/when the tides turn...
I hate this party so much. I understand the reasons why they do the things they do. I understand why they believe in the things they believe. But, I just can't tolerate it anymore. I have empathy for these people in these situations, but I also have an understanding.
If two of your friends were in a relationship, that was symbolically the most dearest thing to your heart, and over time you noticed one of them becoming more cynical/violent/abusive/hateful/radical/corrupt/etc. While the other was hernestly trying to fix and build the relationship they know they were stuck in to male things better; not only for themselves but better for everyone around them... would you stand there, silent, absent of action and rationality?
I hate the fact that our system, our country, is in the volatile condition that it's in. I know you do too.
Vote, protest, listen, communicate, have patience, fight. Those are your options. Just choose wisely and try to follow that order I guess.
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.
There's more work to be done :
Conservative blog 1819 must be very proud of themselves.
As a republican, he was part of the problem
It's people saying shit like this that is part of the problem. While the left is generally much more accepting than the right our community needs to be better about accepting people who don't share all our beliefs. Maybe that way when they start to become more progressive and can help bring other people over that have some fledgling left wing values in them.
And no one of value was lost
Purportedly, he wasn't a hypocrite. He didn't hold or express anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment. I would consider that a loss since he's probably going to be replaced by one of the bigoted politicians.
Then I recant my previous statement
He was a member of a group that didn't want him as a member. He slept with leopards and they ate his face. Hypocrisy takes many forms.
C’mon man, we’re not talking Rush Limbaugh or Newt Gingrich here. This was a mayor of a small town who, as I have read so far, never made any bad decisions concerning the LGBTQ+ community. And, if the reports are to be believed, was in a consensual relationship with his wife who also happened to be supportive of their cross dressing self. In other words, she loved them for who they truly were. I mean no disrespect, just sometimes the anger isn’t warranted. That appears to be the case here. Peace bro/sis.
That's too bad. Oh well.