Imagine waking up to find your world or that of a loved one turned upside down. A mother gets a call from her grown daughter, a successful business owner and young mother herself, that something unspeakable, something that defies reason and decency, has happened. Young women find their phones going off, ding, ding, ding. They’re receiving text messages with screenshots of themselves from years ago, candid photos, posted innocently on social media, now plastered across multiple websites alongside explicit and pornographic material. Worse still, the person responsible for all this was someone they trusted and thought they knew.
People in Smith Station, Alabama, and the surrounding community lived these scenes last week when it was reported that their late Mayor F.L “Bubba” Copeland, senior pastor of neighboring Phenix City’s First Baptist Church, has been involved in a double-life for at least five or six years. Copeland was previously a school board member and a youth pastor.
Their small-town reality, once described by Copeland as “Mayberry 2023,” suddenly became less like the perfect quaint town it seemed to be and more like the setting of a psychological thriller or horror film. Contrary to what you’ve likely heard, this is not a story of a man who, in the privacy of his own home, with the support of his wife, “wore women’s clothing and makeup.”
The villain in this real-life horror story, and yes, there’s a villain, was not the reporter who brought the story to light or the outlet that published it; it was none other than the mayor/pastor himself, Bubba Copeland.
After the first two parts in a multi-part series by 1819 News, detailing that he was living a double life, knowing that many of his victims now knew that he violated their privacy and anonymity, that he had shared erotic sexual fantasies that included one in which he committed violent and criminal acts, including as stalking, murder and rape, and revelations that he posted photos of local residents and friends (one as young as 14-15 years old), the mayor committed suicide.
Make no mistake: This is not a story about the outing of a man whose only sin was to cross-dress. That is a lie that the media and some within the LGBTQ+ community are using to push their agenda, discredit his victims and their pain and vilify those who have and will come forward to speak out against his actions.
“This didn’t have to happen,” has been said repeatedly, as if anyone thinks it did. The insinuation is that the news outlet reporting on the facts or the victims themselves were cheering for the story to end with Copeland’s death. No one was. Suicide is tragic and unnecessary. Those who have taken it upon themselves to make assumptions and then push them as a national narrative while failing to present the complete and graphic details of his abusive behavior and breach of public trust are furthering the damage of this already horrific situation.
Two things can be true at the same time: Bubba’s death by suicide was a tragedy, and his victims, the ones who are publicly known and those grappling with their stories in whispers behind closed doors, are afraid they’ll be vilified, too scared to speak out, but deserve to be heard and to get answers and closure where possible.
His death left many with questions. Questions like: Why did he do these things? How could he betray the people who trusted and respected him? What signs did I miss? How long has this been going on? Why are people covering up for him? What are people covering up for him? What more will become known? When will it come to light? What can be done? How will we move on? How will we heal?
Some are saying the answers do not matter. Nothing matters now but protecting the legacy of this “innocent” man bullied to death. I don’t believe this, and you should not either. Getting answers is an essential part of healing.
Why should we watch as people with influence and reach like a former U.S. Senator, the state’s most prominent media outlet, multiple national outlets and today, the Associated Press tell us to ignore those who are left picking up the pieces of the mess Copeland made?
As one victim said, “Where are the prayers for the victims and THEIR families/children? Do they have the same support?” The answer is a resounding yes, and everyone who posted in support of Bubba Copeland should post in support of his victims, too.
“You can’t call the innocent women & children who had their privacy violated ‘victims’ if there aren’t any criminal charges.” This is something I heard this week after joining “Leland Live” on Birmingham radio’s Talk 99.5 to break the news that victims had started coming forward and speaking publicly. You can listen to those three segments of me discussing their public statements on Nov. 6 starting here. You can also see a news segment from Columbus, Ga.’s WTVM that aired video and audio of several victims that same night here.
Miriam Webster defines victim:
There can be no doubt: These women, and at least one young man, and their loved ones are victims. Victims that people want to silence or ignore because the truth is uncomfortable, and they would rather the story be the lie that the mayor himself was a victim rather than a predator.
If the use of the word predator offends you, then find me a better word for someone who has and would publish violent sexual fantasies involving stalking and murdering a family friend within the community — a friend who Copeland’s wife dressed as for “Career Day,” a friend who posted in support of he and his wife.
Find a better word to describe a man who lifted images of people he knew, including a 14 or 15-year-old boy, and used them for his “personal” sexual hobby of pretending to be a transgender man. Find me a better word to describe a man who took the actual name and likeness of a young mother and described her in sexually explicit scenes in two different pieces of fiction he wrote.
If you can find me a better word, I’ll use it; otherwise, let’s call a spade a spade and a predator a predator and not pretend that his tragic decision to take his life excuses or fixes everything he did before it. It does not. His online persona was not harmless fun. It was not victimless.
Many victims have been victimized repeatedly now, first by Bubba Copeland and then again and again by the media refusing to acknowledge the truth and by their neighbors some of whom are attempting to use their faith against them by those who are weaponizing Bible verses about casting stones and offering forgiveness to shame them into silence. This is wrong and needs to stop.
No criminal or civil case may ever be brought for the mayor’s actions. It’s entirely possible that by legal standards, his behavior was merely unethical, unseemly, and violated the conscience but otherwise broke no state or federal laws. Yet that doesn’t lessen the impact on those suffering in the community. That doesn’t make his actions right.
One of the first posts I came across when looking up the victims was a public Facebook post by one such woman praying for peace within the community while quoting the lyrics to In Jesus Name (God Of Possible), by Katy Nichole.
The victim said, “I have cried and screamed these words over the last 3 days.” She goes on to say she’s “prayed these words Bubba and his family over and over and over again.”
I close with these words this afternoon. Stand with the victims. Pray for the victims. Stop ignoring and dismissing them.
In Jesus Name (God of Possible) By Katy Nichole: [Verse 1] I speak the name of Jesus over you In your hurting, in your sorrow I will ask my God to move I speak the name 'cause it's all that I can do In desperation, I'll seek Heaven And pray this for you [Chorus] I pray for your healing, that circumstances would change I pray that the fear inside would flee in Jesus' name I pray that a breakthrough would happen today I pray miracles over your life in Jesus' name In Jesus' name [Verse 2] I speak the name of all authority Declaring blessings, every promise He is faithful to keep I speak the namе no grave could ever hold Hе is greater, He is stronger He's the God of possible [Chorus] I pray for your healing, that circumstances would change I pray that the fear inside would flee in Jesus' name I pray that a breakthrough would happen today I pray miracles over your life in Jesus' name In Jesus' name, oh-o
Editor’s Note: This is an opinion column. As is our standard practice, Alabama Today chooses not to name the victims in this case.
Apryl Marie Fogel is a political commentator with over two decades of experience. She is the Owner and Publisher of Alabama Today and the former host of Straight Talk with Apryl Marie. You can find her on Facebook and X (Formally known as Twitter).
If you or someone you know is struggling with this or any other situation, know that support is out there. Call or text 988 the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. We can all help prevent suicide. The 988 Lifeline provides 24/7, free, and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States.
