Bubba Copeland shot himself in front of police on Friday, days after he begged 1819 News not to expose his private life.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    Hours before Copeland’s death, Hemant Mehta, who runs the popular religion blog Friendly Atheist, noted that Copeland did not appear to have bigoted views toward transgender people or people who simply enjoy cross-dressing.

    “There’s a story making the rounds about an Alabama preacher/mayor who secretly dresses in drag and adopts the persona of a trans woman on social media,” Mehta tweeted. “The problem? It’s not clear he’s a hypocrite. If he’s not a bigot, why is he being outed?”

    https://www.mediaite.com/news/mayor-commits-suicide-after-conservative-website-publishes-photos-of-him-in-womens-clothing/

    • unoriginalsin@lemmy.world
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      Mehta tweeted. “The problem? It’s not clear he’s a hypocrite. If he’s not a bigot, why is he being outed?”

      Maybe we shouldn’t be outing anyone. One’s personal sexuality isn’t anybody else’s business. Even if one is a bigot.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        I think there is a good argument to be made for outing someone closeted who is using their power to oppress LGBT+ people, but there is also a trend of labeling any homophobic politician as being in the closet when a lot of them are just plain old bigots.

        • unoriginalsin@lemmy.world
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          I think there is a good argument to be made

          I’m sorry, but I must vehemently disagree. There is absolutely no reason to discuss publicly someone’s private sexual preferences. Otherwise, you have the society they want where witch-hunts can be started over rumors.

          there is also a trend of labeling any homophobic politician as being in the closet

          That is also bad, and should not be tolerated.

          • Daft_ish@lemmy.world
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            If I’m being oppressed I would like to know if the thing I’m being opposed for is something my oppressor practices. That is called injustice.

            • unoriginalsin@lemmy.world
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              It’s called none of your business. You can’t expect someone to adhere to a standard you refuse to recognize. It’s classic, “Rules for thee…”

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                Excuse me? Are you for, “rules for thee but not for me”? I cannot decipher your actual stance.

                • unoriginalsin@lemmy.world
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                  I cannot decipher your actual stance.

                  I can’t fathom why, when I’ve stated it multiple times in the clearest possibly English.

                  Don’t out anyone. No exceptions.

                  If you make exceptions then it’s you who is creating “rules for thee…”

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                    But if your oppressor is LGBTQ+ and oppressing you for being LGBTQ+ it is “rules for thee…”

                    Tell me I’m wrong, you nut.

                    Most importantly, in this case I don’t think we should be defending the rights of an oppressor over the rights of the oppressed.

                    Edit:

                    I could go on. The exact reason someone would not want to be outed is because of the social stigma created by the oppressor. So your stance is doubly absurd.

      • downpunxx@kbin.social
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        nah, if you’re an elected political official with power over other peoples lives, and you’re a bigot, it’s open fuckin season, and i’d recommend outting every single last goddamned one of them

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            All Republicans are hypocritical bigots, by definition. It’s the core of their political party, it’s who they signed up to be identified with, it’s who they are, or in the case of this poor bigoted fuck, were. I don’t want to see any “but this was a nice republican” bullshit. After the Southern Strategy in 1964, all Republicans are trash, every single one.

            Institutionalized racism, misogyny, homophobia, and white Christian separatism as party platform. No matter how “conservative” Republicans claimed to be, The Southern Strategy was the core value and singular driving force for the past 60 years. MAGA isn’t a symptom, it’s result.

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              Maybe the politicians, I could agree with that, but most Republican voters are not on board with the southern strategy and all of this other stuff.

              All the majority know is that they hate Democrats, and that is why they vote the way they do. Human beings are creatures of habit after all.

              Besides, even if a group of people are doing bad things en masse, it’s ultimately counterproductive to lump the followers in with the leaders. It makes it harder for the followers to break from the leaders that are leading them down the wrong path.

              I am anti-republican politics, and I don’t get along with Republican voters, but I’m not going to call the guy at the gas station evil because he votes Republican because his dad voted Republican because his dad voted Republican.

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                “They don’t know what they’re voting for” is not a defense, frankly. If you’re truly ignorant of what a party stands for and you just can’t bring yourself to vote for their opponent, maybe don’t vote at all?

                If you vote Republican then you are “on board” with the southern strategy and all of this other stuff. That’s what voting signifies, that’s the whole point of voting. It’s a binding statement to the world that you want the person or group you’re voting for to be in charge, and in the case of Republicans we know very well what them being “in charge” entails.

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                They aren’t evil, doesn’t stop them being ignorant, stupid, wrong, and detrimental to society. Ebola isn’t evil, but it’ll fuck up your life if you don’t kill it first.

                Republican voters are cancer, they might not want to kill you, but they will.

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                Maybe the politicians, I could agree with that, but most Republican voters are not on board with the southern strategy and all of this other stuff.

                It’s certainly a not big enough deal for them to leave.

                I’m not going to call the guy at the gas station evil because he votes Republican because his dad voted Republican because his dad voted Republican.

                I am.

                If they’re voting to for and supporting the party that does evil stuff, it really doesn’t matter the reason they do it for.

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                I didn’t vote for the Nazis to kill the Jews, I just wanted my taxes lowered :(

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          Out the ones that could be a part of the ones who could effect change so they can be ousted and replaced by another run-of-the-mill Republican demon. Smart. Real big-brained move.

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        Mmmmmmmm… No, you know what? fuck that. You don’t get to be a bigot and then expect privacy in your own life. Response to even if one is a bigot

          • unoriginalsin@lemmy.world
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            This is classic conservative rules for thee bullshit.

            This is anti-conservatives sinking to the level of conservative rules for thee bullshit.

            You’re literally saying “it’s ok to be queer, unless…” Either it’s ok, it it’s not. Spoiler alert, it’s fucking ok.

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              Yes I’m saying it’s ok to be queer and not ok to be intolerant. What the fuck is wrong with your reading comprehension?

              No one is saying that it is ok that he was outed. They’re saying he was making rules as a Republican official that bound LGBTQ people and the instant those rules would apply to him he killed himself…

              Rules for thee but not me.

              Do u get it now, junior?

              • unoriginalsin@lemmy.world
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                No one is saying that it is ok that he was outed.

                Plenty of people are saying exactly that. Are you reading a different thread?

                Do u get it now, junior?

                Go back to Reddit, you muppet.

                • Dkarma@lemmy.world
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                  Uk u lost when you resort to “go back to reddit” followed by an ad hominem.

                  • unoriginalsin@lemmy.world
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                    Typical Redditor. Thinking every insult is ad hominem. You don’t get to start throwing insults around and not expect some in return.

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          You don’t get to be a bigot and then expect privacy in your own life.

          You have it exactly backwards though. You don’t get to expect privacy in your own life if you refuse to respect the privacy of others.

          Also, why would you fight bigotry by demeaning the very thing they oppose with their bigotry? You’re only adding fuel to the fire.

      • cannache@slrpnk.net
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        Imagine outing someone as straight. Essentially it’s a weird attempt to enforce a degree of group think

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      That’s the biggest problem with religion and hypocrisy. You’re all right being against everything that doesn’t concern you personally but as soon as it does suddenly it’s a problem.

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      “The problem? It’s not clear he’s a hypocrite. If he’s not a bigot, why is he being outed?”

      Because every issue has exactly two sides nowadays. And this guy uses twitter, so he should have noticed that by now.

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        That quote is ignoring the fact that it was his fellow conservatives who went after him to destroy his life. It is his fellow conservatives – the ones he chose to stand among and support – that enjoy this outcome.

        You cannot be surprised when bullies bully. And the people who hang out with bullies because it benefits them to do so? They are also bullies.

        And unfortunately, I think that’s exactly why you’re wrong. The issue isn’t partisanship. The issue is bigotry. These people outed him because they hate and want to destroy LGBT people. There’s no shades of grey here. There is no moderate position. This story happened even with no one from the opposite partisan position being involved.

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          And he participated in that bullying for years himself.

          This guy was those guys. Dressing in drag doesn’t give him a pass.

          • unoriginalsin@lemmy.world
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            Dressing in drag doesn’t give him a pass.

            I don’t see anyone making that argument. What I do see is people saying that being conservative removes your pass to be queer. And that’s just atrocious.

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              Nah, I’ll go ahead and say it.

              No one has a pass to be conservative, especially a queer person. No one. Not one person. It is not acceptable to be a bigot, a bully. It’s not acceptable to be cruel just because you believe there is a certain social hierarchy that ought to be enforced. All the tenants of conservatism are unacceptable. And if you are queer, you now have INTIMATE knowledge of what it is like to be on the receiving end of that hatred and oppression and should know better than most to take no part in it.

            • Dkarma@lemmy.world
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              Literally no one is saying that anywhere. Your reading comprehension is shit.

              What people are saying is it makes him a self hating person and a hypocrite and a bad person to hold office in a party that oppresses LGBTQ people.

              You seem to be thinking that just cuz someone is LGBTQ that makes them a good person inside. That’s pure identity politics and simply false.

              • unoriginalsin@lemmy.world
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                Literally no one is saying that anywhere.

                https://kbin.social/m/[email protected]/t/598062/-/comment/3362718

                You don’t have to apologize. Your silence will suffice.

                You seem to be thinking that just cuz someone is LGBTQ that makes them a good person inside.

                You don’t have to speculate about what I think. I’ve explicitly stated it on clear and uncertain terms. A person’s sexuality is their own private business and there’s no reason to be outing anyone.

                Your reading comprehension is shit.

                I don’t think you have demonstrated enough reading comprehension to sit in judgement.