Bud Light is now facing boycotts from both sides of the political spectrum after teaming up with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Conservative beer drinkers blasted Bud Light for partnering with Mulvaney – the transgender TikTok star and creator of the “Days of Girlhood” series. Now, gay bars in Illinois are boycotting Bud Light for not supporting Mulvaney enough.
Following the backlash to the transgender partnership, Bud Light CEO Brendan Whitworth issued a milquetoast statement:
We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer. My time serving this country taught me the importance of accountability and the values upon which America was founded: freedom, hard work and respect for one another.
Conservatives were not impressed by the statement, but neither was some of the LGBTQ community.
The 2Bears Tavern Group owns four “LGBTQIA+ establishments” in Chicago. The LGBTQ group proclaimed on Friday, “All 2Bears Tavern Group bars are discontinuing Anheuser-Busch InBev products as a result of the brewer’s anti-transgender actions and statements.”
“In view of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s abandonment of its support of transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney, the subsequent reprehensible and divisive comments by its CEO … 2Bears Tavern Group is discontinuing all Anheuser-Busch InBev products including Busch Light, Bud Light, and Goose Island 312,” the 2Bears Tavern Group said in a statement.
The 2Bears Tavern Group has “values” of “consent is sexy,” “no racism,” “no sexism,” “no ableism,” “no ageism,” “no homophobia,” “no transphobia,” “no size shaming,” and “no hate.”
The backlash from conservatives has caused the Bud Light brand to lose 21% by volume as of April 15. Bud Light sales were down 26% from what they were a year ago, according to Bump Williams Consulting.
Anheuser-Busch has reportedly cut ties with the third-party ad agency involved with the partnership with Mulvaney.
The New York Post reported, “Anheuser-Busch also sent a letter to jittery distributors telling them it had cut ties with the firm responsible for the concept that has led to Bud Light sales cratering since Mulvaney last month posted a video on TikTok touting the best-selling beer in the country, multiple sources said.”
The drama started when Bud Light sent a personalized beer can to transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney in mid-April.
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