#bubba copeland

[gwydionmisha]

CW: Suicide.

[makingdonalddrumpfagain]

[gendont]

The absurdity of the people in my college's GSA discord crying over Bubba fucking Copeland.

Conservative Alabama mayor, Trump supporter, wrote murder stalking fics about women he knew in person, created fetish memes starring actual children, posted all this online voluntarily, but boo hoo cry sob because he occasionally wore a dress? Nah, good riddance.

[xianjaneway]

The Loss of Rev Mayor Bubba Copeland, Part 1

(Content note: we're going to address topics like suicide, child sex abuse, graphic descriptions of sex & abuse in fiction, fundamentalist & conservative hatred towards LGBTQIA people, & the Southern Baptist Convention's cover-up of child sexual assault within its leadership. This is a cry for justice, & it's not going to be pretty. If any of this is unhealthy for you to read about, please use the back button to save your sanity.)

Rev. F.L. "Bubba" Copeland died by suicide on Friday, after a low-speed chase with local Sheriff's deputies. Rev. Copeland had been targeted with five articles in three days by the site, "1819 News Dot Com," when his alter-ego was discovered. No one but his wife was aware of his private online life before the 1819 site exposed it.

Privately, Rev. Copeland posted on sites like Instagram, Reddit, & Fictionmania, as Brittani Blair Summerlin. She'd post on topics like size-inclusivity, fashion & budoir photos, hormonal transition, transgender rights issues, & yes, sex.

She also wrote fiction.

Let me be the first to say, it seems like Brittani did some really stupid things.

She apparently used the pics of *real* minors to make memes about a fantasy of transition & casual sex. I may be wrong, but it looks like they were about specific stories she'd written, & acted as a thumbnail or cover art for them.

I won't defend using real minors for that. It's wrong.

I will say, "Since the trash tabloid outed him, he took his accounts down, & there's no way to verify that Reb. Copeland actually made these memes."

I will say, "I wish she could have been in a healthy fanfic community, where someone could have pulled her aside & said, 'Don't do that. It's wrong. Here's some AI sites where you can generate whatever face fits your stories. Or, here's a fanfic artist, why don't you commission them to make you some original cover art for $25?'"

(Note, that's where my profile pic came from. If you'd like one, I'm happy to pass along the artist's contact info.)

I've only been a part of online fanfic communities for a couple of years, & I've seen writers do stupid things. I've seen the uproar of actors when they discover things like, "Real Person Fanfic (RPF)" exists. I've seen the discussions over when & how using real people in fanfiction is a problem--& this was about celebrities! It must be an entire other level of discomfort for private adult citizens to have their images & names put in fiction, & it's ABSOLUTELY WRONG to do it to children, who legally & morally cannot consent to public use of their photos.

It's wrong, but it's NOT A CRIME.

It's a crime to sexually abuse or exploit children, & take pictures, video, or audio of it. It's a crime to own or distribue that media. It's NOT a crime to take pictures that were already posted on the internet, & alter them for your own personal use.

Is it really weird? Absolutely.

Is it a crime? NO. It's not.

It's really important to understand the distinguishing factors here: Rev. Copeland did something wrong, but according to the pictures posted by 1819, it's easy to see that it was a mistake. It was not a crime, it was not sexually exploitative, & it was not illegal.

It's not a crime to write the kinds of stories Brittani wrote, even if they're disturbing. Yes, that includes if they use real people as characters. (It should be noted that the protagonist in the most disturbing of the stories was NOT real, & was neither Brittani nor Bubba.)

Even worse, if Bubba Copeland had been James Patterson, he would have been PAID for his work.

Just take a look at this excerpt from Patterson's bestseller, "Kiss The Girls."

Yep, James Patterson wrote a graphic sex scene where a serial killer uses a snake to enlarge the anus of a victim. Patterson has sold over 425 MILLION books, & I assure you, this isn't the only graphic description of rape & murder in them. The victims in this story were often college age women, only a couple of years above being minors themselves. I don't know if Patterson himself wrote graphic descriptions of violence against minors, but I'm ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that plenty of famous thriller writers have.

Why does Patterson get to be a millionaire, but Rev. Copeland is viciously mocked, & driven to suicide?

What's worse, is that Southern Baptist leaders are typically quite willing to hide the sexual abuse of children, as we discovered yet again less than two weeks ago.

On October 25th, the twitter account @SBClitigation posted a link to an amicus brief, filed by the SBC lawyers this past spring, trying to limit legal liability for, "non-perpetrator third parties who were allegedly made aware of the abuse and violated common-law duties in responding to it."

In other words, the SBC leaders KNEW about sexual abuse happening to their members, by their members, or even by others in the leadership, & either did nothing, or actively discouraged the victims from pursuing justice. Yes, every link is an example.

You should read @SBClitigation's entire thread, to see how far SBC leadership is willing to go to cover their butts.

Why did those particular SBC leaders get protection, when Rev. Copeland did not?

Brittani harmed no one, abused no one, & told no one, except her wife. Yet, Bubba Copeland died by his own hand, while people like Paul Pressler & CJ Mahaney still have thriving careers.

****

I apologize, I worked longer than I thought I would today, & I'm exhausted. I will have to do a more detailed part 2 of this commentary later on. Let me end with this:

If you write, read, or love fanfiction, you should speak out against the vicious & inhumane treatment that Rev. Copeland received. Using real people's faces is a mistake that should have been caught & fixed by a fanfic site moderator. It should not result in someone's death.

If you care about the victims of sexual abuse, you should speak out against the vicious & inhumane treatment that Rev. Copeland received. People who write the types of fiction he wrote often have a history of being victimized.

If you care about gender nonconforming people of any type, you should speak out against the vicious & inhumane treatment that Rev. Copeland received. The people who harassed Brittani literally to her death *do not care* about the victims of child sexual assault. They've proven this again & again by their actions towards victims & perpetrators.

Brittani was a scapegoat, used to deflect accountability from their own inaction, & focus people on a collective boogeyman: a transgender woman on the internet.

[albiclalepsza]

This is one of the most infuriating videos I've seen on TikTok. My friend sent me this and I couldn't fucking believe my ears. Of course the whole thing that happened to Bubba was terrible and the way the right wing targeted him for nothing basically is heartbreaking. Every person that targeted him has blood on their hands and I hope they're fucking ashamed and can't look at their faces in the mirror. But I want to focus on the way the guy narrates it.

So, we have the voice that's completely tone deaf and a montage that's honestly shameless. The whole thing sacrifices any semblance of tact to have a bit of a bigger chance of retaining the attention of the viewer, with sounds and objects appearing all around, quick cuts and transitions to work with toddler's attention span.

And then the fucking TikTok speech. The fucking self censorship, probably the worst case of it that I've seen. He's talking about a suicide, where Bubba pulled out a gun and shot himself. And he uses the words "pew pew" and of course "unalive". While talking about a real person. Who killed themselves recently. It's so insulting I was basically fuming and immediately started writing a rant to my friend about how shitty the video is.

Recently there was a post going around here about the awful consequences of TikTok speech. And sure, I've heard my share of "unalives" and "grapes", but generally, people on my fyp don't use these. And I thought that post was exaggerating a bit. But now I am absolutely convinced that this whole thing is a one big brainrot and should be called out. Because holy fuck, even though I've been on social media for a long time, this is one of the worst cases of a total lack of respect in covering events I've seen. And no one called it out in the comments. Insane. The author of the video should be so ashamed of themselves. Soulless content machine

[abs0luteb4stard]

First, I have to say, I am not republican and I don't like where that party has taken my country at all in the last 15+ years that I've been an adult. I'm irreligious, but I don't mind if this person was a pastor.

That's as even toned as I'm going to get on that.

I think it's a fucking shame what that far-right conservative news/blog did to this human being.

Maybe he was just a cross dresser or in drag or was truly transgender and hadn't yet realized it. I don't know. The information is very vague. I don't know if his wife will ever talk about it in the future.

But I hope she sues everyone in that 1819 news into the godamn ground. They published this stuff to OUT him, and they used their bigot fan base to harass and bully this person into killing himself.

What's sad is that he's was born in a community that would likely shun him from his religious work and community, abandon him, and bully him if he lived as the woman he felt he was inside (if he was indeed transgender).

OR if drag was a hobby for him. He had to keep it secret because of his position, and the community's generalized views of him if that secret life were to go public, again, would harm him in many ways.

There's no godamn reason he should've died this way. It's nobody's business. Nobody has the right to force someone OUT of the closet if they're in that life position. The danger that was created ended in a death.

From all the things I've read, Bubba Copeland was a good mayor. He was a nonpartisan candidate. But he took the republican title probably because the community he was in was like that. He probably thought he could do more good with that party name attached to him.

He made every effort to rebuild and help his town after a tornado smashed up a lot of homes, killing 20 people. He also helped the town thrive through his work as mayor. He owned a local grocery store. He had one son from a previous marriage and two stepdaughters from his current wife. He seemed to be a good father to them from his public social pages.

This was a needless death of someone who seemed to have better intentions for his community than the conservative right-wingers had for him. After he asked nicely for them not to print about his personal life. No courtesy or caring was shown to him by these evil people.

And it's unconscionable that this is how we treat people. Does anyone not see this? Civilized people in the United States of America. In this country, that is supposed to be "the greatest country in the world," you have people publicly bully someone into suicide for the clothes they wear and some makeup.

That news/blog and everyone that commented on social media with attacks on Copeland should be charged with murder and accessories.

[theexceptionalconservative-blog]

A FEATURE TECN.TV PRESENTATION

TECS® on Rumble:  https://rumble.com/v3umcdj-tecn.tv-abortion-sexual-perversion-republicans-losing-more-than-democrats-w.html

Abortion, Sexual Perversion: Republicans Losing More Than Democrats Winning

Kenneth McClenton / Host / TECN.TV / Twitter: @TheExceptionalOne

[rabid-dog-steve-horn]

For all my fellow wrestling fans.

Enjoy.

[vaspider]

A closeted person, forcibly outed as having a trans online persona by a "conservative news site," died by suicide after being publicly ridiculed after the outing.

Then, the head of that "news site" sent condolences to Bubba's "victims and family."

There aren't any victims, of course, because the clothing you wear in private and the fiction you write isn't anybody's business, but it's important to understand that these people really do think that trans people have "victims" bc we are somehow hurting people just by existing.

Do not add any kind of transphobic or anti-closet rhetoric to this post.

Turns out there were plenty of good reasons for him to stay closeted, nu? Show his memory the same grace and gentleness you'd want shown to someone you love.

[gwydionmisha]

CW: Suicide.

[ghoulpoole]

when we lose another sibling

CONTENT WARNING: death. proceed with care and be kind to yourself.

when we lose another sibling

(and we surely will),

i want you to go outside

and cry

and cry

and cry

and cry.

when we lose another sibling

i want you to scream 

at the top of your lungs:

THEY DID NOT DESERVE TO DIE.

when we lose another sibling

i want you to shout yourself hoarse

at this vast 

indifferent abyss:

IT DID NOT HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS.

when we lose another sibling

i want you to gather flowers

and palm fronds

and fill the street with mourning.

when we lose another sibling

i want you to say their names.

when we lose another sibling

i want you to give the world

a warning:

THINGS WILL NOT BE THE SAME.

----------------------------------------------------------

SAY THEIR NAMES.

Over the past year, these trans and nonbinary people died under violent circumstances in the United States.

Eden Knight - 3/12/2023

Siyah Woodland - 3/24/2023

Ashley Burton - 4/11/2023

Koko Da Doll - 4/18/2023

Banko Brown - 4/27/2023

LaKendra Andrews - 4/29/2023

Om(e) Gandhi - 5/16/2023

Ashia Davis - 6/2/2023

Chanell Perez Ortiz - 6/25/2023

Jacob Williamson - 6/30/2023

Fernielle Mary Mora - 7/6/2023

Onyx John - 7/16/2023

Camdyn Rider - 7/21/2023

Jean Butchart - 8/4/2023

DéVonnie J’Rae Johnson - 8/7/2023

Luis Ángel Díaz Castro - 8/12/2023

Lovely Page - 8/16/2023

Thomas ‘Tom-Tom’ Robertson - 8/17/2023

Alexa Andreevna Sokova - 9/5/2023

Codii Lawrence - 9/5/2023

Bre’Asia Bankz - 9/5/2023

Kylie Monali - 9/7/2023

Charm Wilson - 9/8/2023

Sherlyn Marjorie - 9/17/2023

YOKO - 9/19/2023

A’nee Johnson - 10/4/2023

Chyna Long - 10/8/2023

Dominic Dupree - 10/13/2023

Lisa Love - 10/17/2023

Nova Dunn - 10/17/2023

Skylar Harrison Reeves - 10/20/2023

London Price - 10/23/2023

F.L. “Bubba” Copeland - 11/3/2023

Kejuan Richardson - 11/14/2023

Amiri Reid - 11/14/2023

Kejuan Richardson - 11/14/2023

Shandon Floyd - 11/15/2023

Savannah Ryan Williams - 11/29/2023

Amber Minor - 12/24/2023

Meghan Riley Lewis - 12/27/2023

Kitty Monroe - 1/1/2024

Tristan Bustos - 1/25/2024

Nex Benedict - 2/7/2024

Ash Clatterbuck - 2/27/2024

Righteous TK “Chevy” Hill - 2/28/2024

Reyna Hernandez - 3/8/2024

Diamond Brigman - 3/16/2024

Alex Franco - 3/17/2024

Meraxes Medina - 3/19/2024

AND THOSE WE NOW NAME.

[xianjaneway]

The Loss of Rev. Bubba Copeland, Part 2

(Content note: we're going to address topics like suicide, child sex abuse, graphic descriptions of sex & abuse in fiction, fundamentalist & conservative hatred towards LGBTQIA people, & the Southern Baptist Convention's cover-up of child sexual assault within its leadership. This is a cry for justice, & it's not going to be pretty. If any of this is unhealthy for you to read about, please use the back button to save your sanity.)

Conservative Christianity showed its face today, & it is dirty.

The response of the church to the passing of Rev. Copeland has been outrageous, confusing, and filled with both misinformation & bigotry.

I need the queer, trans, fanfic, dead dove, & any other affected community to see what's happening here:

They're saying his works of fiction are indications that he's a danger to the community.

They're saying that, because he wrote about a murder, using the name of a real woman, he must have secretly wanted to murder her.

I don't know how to explain to non-writers, "Fiction isn't reality. Copeland wasn't going to murder that woman, just like I'm NEVER going to be an military intelligence analyst in witness protection."

I wonder if they think reality TV is real.

Even worse, they're attacking those of us who brought stories of systemic child sexual abuse into the light, saying, "BUT WHAT ABOUT THIS GUY?? HOW CAN YOU DEFEND HIM?"

My friend @CoffeeYall said it best: "We will never ever deal with church abuse, when we view a queer adult man as having the same amount of evil, as a pastor who grooms and rapes underage girls."

The church fundamentally does not understand the difference between "sin," or violating their commandments, & "abuse," the act of harming another person, taking a person's agency away, controlling them, violating them, & destroying them. They view sin as a type of abuse against God, the church, & society, & seek to banish it.

They don't understand consent, which is why the fact that Rev. Copeland's wife had full knowledge & consent of their online life doesn't matter to them. When we became Evangelical, we were supposed to give ALL of our will & ambition & sense of self over to God.

They don't understand that people have a right to exist without their approval. They literally see themselves as a type of authority that should be on equal footing with the government.

Here's the laziest example of this type of thinking. It's an excerpt from James Dobson's book, "Marriage Under Fire," page one:

Does Dobson justify this claim in any way? Of course not. That would take work! Evangelicals like him just accept that their views should be taken as default. They don't understand that protecting the rights of people who disagree with them eventually protects their own rights as well.

You might ask, "Why then would Rev. Copeland stay in such an environment? He was only harming himself?"

Sadly, Rev. Copeland was 49 years old when he died. I turn 44 in a couple of weeks. I can tell you, as someone just five years younger than him, who also grew up in a rural community, that we didn't grow up with the internet, or strong technology literacy, or any diversity of media.

The only difference is, I was taken away when I was 16, & was exposed to a new world of ideas. If I'd stayed?

The most radical or diverse ideas I'd have seen would be at the solitary Catholic church in a 30 mile radius. Maybe I'd have been a crazy Apostolic or Methodist Lady Pastor!

People who discover truths about themselves late in life often face a very difficult choice:

Hide who you are for just a FEW more years, until you can comfortably retire.

Don't hide who you are, & lose everything you've spent the last 20-30 years building. Your community, your financial security, your dignity, & your life.

I know a pastor who successfully navigated 3 short years before retirement. I could tell when the topics & language of his sermons changed, that he was struggling. He's now living happily, about 2500 miles away.

I wish Rev. Copeland had been given that same chance.

[anna-doll]

R.I.P. Mayor Bubba Copeland… You Got Did Dirty, But You’ll Be Remembered For Being Hot As Fuck 💗

[beardedmrbean]

A small-town Alabama mayor died apparently by suicide just days after a conservative news site published pictures of him allegedly wearing women's clothes and makeup, officials said Sunday.

Smiths Station Mayor F.L. "Bubba" Copeland, who was also a pastor at First Baptist Church of Phenix City, fatally shot himself and was pronounced dead at 5:01 p.m. CT Friday, Lee County Coroner Daniel Sexton told NBC News in a statement.

An autopsy was scheduled for Monday.

Thank you all for your prayers and expressions of sympathy and support," First Baptist Church said in a statement Saturday. "First and foremost, we ask that you keep Pastor Bubba Copeland’s family in your prayers today, and in the days ahead."

Copeland died two days after the 1819 News published a story with photos of the mayor donning women’s clothes and makeup.

Copeland was best known for leading his town through a tornado that killed 23 people in eastern Alabama in 2019.

"I am so saddened at the death of my friend Mayor Bubba Copeland," Jones said. "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."

Then-President Donald Trump visited damaged communities, and Jones said Copeland played a vital role in communicating the region's needs to the White House.

"I toured the destruction with him, helped him navigate the FEMA recovery efforts and made sure that he was able to plead his case directly to President Trump," Jones said.

The city of Smiths Station, about 80 miles east of Montgomery, Alabama’s capital, near the Georgia border, has a population of about 5,400 people.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support _________________________________

[milk-karton-kids]

Alabama Mayor Kills Herself After Getting Outed by the Media; Journalist Defends Himself: