The suicide of an Alabama mayor who was revealed to be fetishistically crossdressing is being portrayed sympathetically by media, with the death receiving an outpouring of sympathy from trans activists. Despite the harrowing eulogies, Smiths Station Mayor F.L. “Bubba” Copeland had violent sexual fantasies, including one of murdering a woman and assuming her identity.
On November 3, Copeland took his own life using a handgun while being pursued by police on a welfare check. Copeland’s public suicide came just days after the 1819 Project released a lengthy expose on him, revealing that he had been living a double life as a cross-dressing “bimbo” fetishist.
Among the revelations were that Copeland operated multiple secret social media accounts in which he utilized the identity “Brittini Blaire Summerlin.”
On his Tumblr account, Copeland posted transgender fetish content, promoting the use of feminizing hormones for men who wish to “become [a] whore.” The theme of “bimbofication” extended throughout his online persona, with Copeland expressing arousal and enjoyment at the thought of being reduced to a feminine sexual object for male use.
On Fictionmania, a self-publication platform for erotic stories, Copeland authored four tales centered around becoming a woman. While his first story, titled Becoming Christine, was rated “G” for a lack of graphic content, all of Copeland’s subsequent stories were rated “XXX.”
In the two-part story “The Recruit,” Copeland weaves a first-person account about a young man who becomes a “she-male” in order “make it” in the porn business. The story opens with Copeland writing: “That feels so good! Deeper, deeper! Hit it, daddy, harder, ohhh yes! Yes! To you, it may seem a bit odd! Being fucked from behind like a dog, But it’s my job. Like you show up to work every day, I do too; however, my job is to be a sexy, hot receptacle for men.”
In many of Copeland’s writings, he presents feminization as being a “sexual punishment” or a “bimbo transformation.” The motivation for transition is described as being for sexual gratification, or in order to increase sexual access for the men he fantasizes about satisfying.
But Copeland’s fictional exploits took a dark turn in 2021, when he published “Dangerous Obsession.” In the story, Copeland describes becoming obsessed with a local business owner, who he ultimately murders to assume her identity. The woman murdered in the story is a real individual who lives in Copeland’s community.
“I wanted her life! Staring at her on the latest social media application, all I could think about was how amazing it must be to be her,” Copeland wrote. “At 29 years old, married, and due to gastric bypass surgery had lost a lot of weight, she looked on top of the world.”
Copeland’s narration describes undergoing dramatic plastic surgery to “become” a woman. He then pursues the victim on a cruise ship. After a violent struggle in which the woman screams and cries, Copeland pushes her over the rail of the ship.
Before murdering her, Copeland’s character steals the victims wedding ring set.
“Grabbing her by her left hand, I had to get one last piece of her to complete my plan. Doing her best to fight me, I had to get her wedding set! Those two rings had become the object of my desire,” he writes. “No one heard a thing. As the real [victim’s name redacted] hit the water, Lost forever!”
Copeland’s fictional stories have a disturbing similarity to those authored by the designer of the transgender flag. Monica Helms, born Robert Hogge, who wrote a fictional story depicting a male crossdresser whose wife dies in a violent car accident. After her death, the woman’s husband takes on her name, wears her clothing to bars, and participates in random sex acts while pretending to be his deceased wife.
Some of the photos and shared images featured on Copeland’s Tumblr blog had a theme of younger boys being transitioned into girls. While the images, which sometimes included photos of actual minors, had were non-sexual in appearance, they were passed through “erotica” accounts.
Despite Copeland’s fascination with gender transition being overtly sexual, trans activists are now mourning his death as being of a “trans woman” who was “involuntarily outed.
The Advocate, one of the largest pro-LGBT outlets in the US, used “they/them” pronouns in their article announcing Copeland’s death, noting that they were concerned with respecting his pronouns.
“The Advocate honors people’s chosen names and pronouns. Because Copeland did not publicly come out before their death, The Advocate is referring to them as the person they presented publicly,” the article notes.
“The distressing details surrounding Copeland’s demise highlight the stark reality of the societal pressures and the often harsh judgments individuals may face when their private lives, particularly concerning their sexual orientation or gender identity, are involuntarily thrust into the public domain, especially in conservative communities.” The article ends with providing help-line contact information, including for the Trans Lifeline.
The Advocate‘s article fails to mention that Copeland had fantasies about murdering a woman and assuming her identity.
On AL.com, number of heartfelt statements were made about Copeland, with Cam Ward, director of Alabama Pardons and Paroles, calling the death “so incredibly sad” and adding that “we live in a society where many people are going through so much. Regardless of decisions we may disagree with we should always love our fellow man as the Bible teaches us. I know first hand,” Ward tweeted. “A lot of folks reading his story should look in the mirror.”
The Lee County Democratic Party Chairperson, Jamie Lowe, was also quoted as condemning the “discriminatory and hateful rhetoric” used “to target the personal lives of individuals – be they public or private citizens.”
Lowe framed Copeland’s secret life as a “personal choice.”
As with previous outlets, Copeland’s fetishistic murder fantasies were not reported.
On Facebook, many progressive activists and local administrators expressed sympathy for Copeland’s situation, with former Phenix City School Superintendent Larry DiChiara commenting: “Are you happy now? What crime did he commit? Some of you people make me sick. I hope you are really proud.”
Copeland is survived by a wife and three young children. He had been married for over a decade at the time of his suicide.
