Alabama is, in some ways, is a throwback to years gone by. There is still a connection to the glory days under the ole Democrats, from slavery through segregation. This attitude is still practiced by many. Many people still have a sore spot, if you mention the civil war. There is a connection to the past, over a hundred years ago, that still lingers.
The Republican influence is relatively new; 1960's, and has not yet eliminated all the bad habits that came from the ole Democrat party. Alabama has become softer. Now it is more talk, than action. However, talk can lead to an escalation, due to Democrat induced hyper sensitivity.
If that mayor inserted the word Trump, for LGBTQ, into his rhetoric, the exact same behavior would now be acceptable to the Democrats. The Democrats party would now give him donations for his reelection. It is not the darkness of the heart that bothers the left, but the fact he used the PC taboo words. If he used that same ole evil heart against Trump, he gets a star and promotion.
One has to go beyond the shallows of buzz words, to see where his heart was groomed; ole Democrat south. This ole heart, of the ole south, is still alive in the New Democrat party. The program has changed, but the ole south is rising again; new and improved lynch mobs.