Alabama pastor "outed" by right-wing website kills himself

An Alabama mayor and pastor has died by suicide, authorities said, days after a conservative news blog published photos of him dressed in women's clothing and alleged he was leading a secret life as a transgender woman.

F.L. "Bubba" Copeland, the mayor of Smiths Station and pastor at the First Baptist Church of Phenix City, "took his own life" on Friday evening, said Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones, according to AL.com.

The sheriff's office said it received a request for a welfare check on Copeland at around 4:15 p.m. on Friday.

Deputies located Copeland driving in Beulah, around 15 miles north of Smiths Station, the sheriff's office said.

After a slow pursuit, Copeland pulled over, "exited the vehicle, produced a handgun and took his own life," the sheriff's office said.#

Copeland's death came after 1819 News on Wednesday published photos of Copeland wearing women's clothing, and alleged the pastor was leading a secret life as a transgender woman.

The article reported that Copeland operated social media accounts identifying as a "Transitioning Transgender Curvy Girl," and shared self-authored transgender fiction and erotica online.

Copeland told 1819 News in an interview that the posts were a "hobby" and a "fantasy," adding that the persona was "a fictional character I made up to relieve stress" and the erotica was "purely fiction." Copeland deleted the accounts and requested they not be made public, citing his family and position as a pastor.