F.L. “Bubba” Copeland, 49, an Alabama politician and conservative, has died by suicide after a media outlet exposed his secret life as a transgender woman.
F.L. “Bubba” Copeland kills himself after being outed as “transgender curvy girl” Brittini Blaire Summerlin
According to a statement from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, officers visited Copeland on Friday as part of a welfare check. Copeland ran away from the police, who wanted to talk to him.
At some point during the chase, F.L. “Bubba” Copeland fatally shot himself. Copeland was dealing with multiple problems that left him mentally unwell because of an exposé on his private life that was published by the conservative website 1819 News.
The piece revealed that the Donald Trump supporter was living a double life: to the public, he was the mayor of Smiths Station and served as the pastor of First Baptist Church in Phenix City, but in private, he transformed into an alter-ego called Brittini Blaire Summerlin.
Photos of Brittini Blaire Summerlin found on Instagram and Reddit
Photos on F.L. “Bubba” Copeland’s private social media accounts showed him dressed up as the “transgender curvy girl,” sometimes wearing his wife’s clothes and other times in revealing lingerie.
Using the pseudonym, Brittini Blaire Summerlin, on Instagram and Reddit, Copeland preached to other members of the transgender community and advised them to go on hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
F.L. “Bubba” Copeland openly talked about enjoying being a female and even published transgender fiction and erotica. After the publication of the report on his intimate and secret online life, Copeland used humor to defend himself.
F.L. “Bubba” Copeland called Brittini Blaire Summerlin a fantasy
He told a reporter that it was a hobby, a way to “get rid of stress,” and “a fantasy,” and that his wife was aware that he was fascinated by women’s clothing.
He said: “Just my wife knows about it. It’s a hobby I do to relieve stress. I have a lot of stress, and I’m not medically transitioning. It’s just a bit of a character I’m playing…I don’t go out and seek solicitation or anything like that.”
He insisted that his alter ego never went beyond the walls of his home and added: “What I do in private life has nothing to do with what I do in my holy life. Does this have any effect on me being mayor, that I sometimes put on a dress or sometimes put on makeup? Does that have anything to do whatsoever with me being mayor or a pastor?”
Alabama preacher apologized to his congregation
F.L. “Bubba” Copeland also came clean to the congregation of his church about his “sin.” The pastor said that he was attacked but slammed the article for being an inaccurate portrait of who he truly was.
He explained to the churchgoers: “I have been the object of an internet attack. An article that was written about my capacity as the mayor [and] capacity as a pastor. The article is not who or what I am.”
The Republican politician had the following explanation for the racy photos that were leaked on the internet: “It was an attempt at humor. Yes, I have taken pictures with my wife in the privacy of our home in an attempt at humor because I know I’m neither a handsome man nor a beautiful woman either.”
Copeland concluded by apologizing to the people he might have offended with his lifestyle. He said: “I apologize for any embarrassment caused by my private, personal life that has come publicly.”
Copeland blamed social media for rise in suicide
In March, he did an interview explaining that his small town had a suicide problem that is linked to social media. He confessed: “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,”
Copeland became the mayor of Smiths Station in 2016, and he is mainly remembered for the manner in which he led after a monster tornado ripped through the town in 2019, prompting then-President Donald Trump to tour the area.
Funeral arrangements for F.L. “Bubba” Copeland have been revealed. The public visitation will take place between 4:30 and 8 p.m. at Vance Brooks Funeral Home in Phenix City.
Copeland’s funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at First Baptist Church a place of worship he visited for decades.
If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for mental health support.
