Small-Town Alabama Mayor ‘Bubba’ Copeland, 49, Kills Himself After Being Publicly Outed For Doing Drag

F.L. “Bubba” Copeland, mayor of Smiths Station, Alabama, and pastor at First Baptist Church in Phoenix City, killed himself on November 3 after a conservative blog reported that Copeland posted memes and photos of himself in women’s clothing online under the pseudonym “Brittini Blaire Summerlin.”

Last week, the conservative news blog 1819 News, once owned by the right-wing Alabama Policy Institute, published a post written by Craig Monger, entitled The Secret Life of Smiths Station Mayor and Baptist Pastor F.L. ‘Bubba’ Copeland as a ‘Transgender Curvy Girl.’

The blog shared photos of Copeland’s now-deleted Instagram and Reddit accounts. Copeland also allegedly authored and shared transgender-specific fiction and discussed hormone replacement therapy in some of the online posts.

In a Wednesday evening service at his church, Copeland, 49, announced, “The article is not who or what I am.” 

He continued, “Yes, I have taken pictures with my wife in the privacy of our home in an attempt at humor because I know I’m not a handsome man nor a beautiful woman, either. I apologize for any embarrassment caused by my private and personal life that has [become public]. This will not cause my life to change, this will not waiver my devotion to my family, serving my city, serving my church. I’m thankful for the grace of God. I have nothing to be ashamed of. A lot of things that were said were taken out of context.”

On November 3, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office received a tip that they should check on Copeland. They found him on the road in Beulah Community in Lee County and began a “slow pursuit.” Copeland eventually pulled over on the side of the road and shot himself.

Smiths Station, a town of a little over 5,000 people near the Georgia state line, elected Copeland mayor in 2016.

In 2019, a string of tornadoes ravaged the area, and then-President Donald Trump visited and was photographed with Copeland. Copeland used the picture in his reelect campaign in 2020.

While Baptist views on LGBTQ issues are traditionally very conservative, Copeland had not spoken out on the subject. Many friends have questioned why he was outed in the first place when there was no evidence of hypocrisy.

Copeland’s wife was reportedly aware of Copelan’s private activities. The couple had three kids.

In a March interview with Georgia’s WRBL, Copeland said, “Our community is very, very low crime, very low drug abuse. Our number one problem is suicide. It is sad. I think a lot of it has to do with the military. I think some of it has to do with social media and the reality of that. That’s the number one problem we have.”