Even by American South standards this is colossally fucked up.
"A small Alabama town has expressed grief and outrage at the death of a beloved mayor who died by suicide after facing intense online harassment when images of him dressed in women’s clothing and wigs were published by a far-right website. Mayor FL 'Bubba' Copeland, 49, of Smiths Station in east Alabama, killed himself on 3 November. At the time, local police were attempting to perform a wellness check on him, the Lee county sheriff’s office said in a statement.
'We lost a good man in a very senseless and tragic way. The community is all broken up about it,' Larry DiChiara, the former superintendent of Phenix City schools who has known Copeland for almost 20 years, said, adding: 'He’s a hard man to replace.' During a worship service last Sunday, First Baptist church member David White shared remarks on the passing of Copeland, who was also the pastor there. 'Despite what may have been implied in the media, members of this church have been steadfast in their love and concern of their pastor,' White said, in a recording of the service. 'I know that my friend Bubba Copeland loved this church and its people,' he added.
Copeland was laid to rest three days ago and community members praised his 'heart of gold'. The First Baptist church published a eulogy for Copeland, underscoring his long history of service in Lee County. '[Above] all, beyond serving his church, city and community, Bubba loved spending time with his family,' the church said. Former Alabama Democratic US senator Doug Jones praised Copeland’s leadership and friendship in a via X, formally known as Twitter. '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,' Jones said, referring to tornado in 2019 that killed 23 people in Lee county.
Copeland was also one of few officials who supported local Pride events, as Alabama continues to pass anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, the Associated Press reported.
Chad Peacock, a former resident of Auburn, Alabama, told AP that he believed Alabama’s anti-LGBTQ+ environment played a role in Copeland’s death. Prior to his death, many had grown concerned for Copeland’s wellbeing after the hard-right website 1819 News in Alabama shared images of Copeland wearing makeup and dressed as a woman as well as excerpts of erotic fiction Copeland had written. The 1819 News site also published screenshots of social media accounts used by Copeland, in which Copeland described himself as a transgender woman. Copeland, who is married to a woman and has children, confirmed that he ran the accounts, but said that he dressed up as a hobby to release stress.
Copeland specifically asked 1819 News not to publish such information. The Guardian reached out to several members of 1819 News’ editorial team, but did not receive a response.
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