Dylan Mulvaney, a self-described transgender social media influencer, broke his silence about the controversial Bud Light marketing deal and resultant boycott for the first time in months.
Mulvaney, a man who identifies as a woman, posted a video to Instagram on Thursday in which he said that “bullying and transphobia” resulted from the controversial marketing campaign.
"For months now, I've been scared to leave my house. I have been ridiculed in public. I've been followed, and I have felt a loneliness that I wouldn't wish on anyone,” the internet star said. “For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse in my opinion than not hiring a trans person at all.”
Mulvaney’s brand partnership video three months ago with Anheuser-Busch, the firm which owns Bud Light, caused an immediate backlash from consumers frustrated with the firm’s choice to endorse the LGBT movement. According to Mulvaney, Anheuser-Busch has not reached out to him since the initial controversy.
Ellen DeGeneres, a self-described lesbian, commented on the post: “We still have a long way to go, but things will get better, and they’ll get better because of you.”
The comments with some of the most likes, however, were corrections and rebukes in response to Mulvaney’s claims. One user noted that “playing the ‘transphobic’ card” would not work with social media users since people are annoyed with “sexualising of children that they’re seeing happen, and at the mocking of women, at the push to have us called ‘birthing people and chest feeders’ to accommodate a minority.” Another user likewise said that “transphobia is the incorrect word” since “people don’t like what is always being pushed in their faces.”
Bud Light was the most popular beer in the United States for more than two decades but was recently displaced by Modelo Especial. Weekly sales for Bud Light had plummeted nearly 29% year-over-year as of the week ended June 17, according to sales data from Bump Williams Consulting, while other brands owned by Anheuser-Busch have similarly suffered.
Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said on Wednesday that the customer boycott of Bud Light has forced the company to offer financial assistance to wholesalers. The executive nevertheless continued to downplay the beer brand’s controversial association with Mulvaney, asserting in an interview with CBS News that “just to be clear, it was a gift and it was one can.”
“There’s a big social conversation taking place right now,” he said, contending that the controversy has moved away from beer and that Bud Light doesn’t belong in the “divisive” conversation. Although pressed by CBS News hosts to comment on Mulvaney, Whitworth kept his answers vague and chose to avoid directly commenting on the matter.
Anheuser-Busch stated in a recent regulatory filing that it plans to offer sales incentives to wholesalers, as well as credits and reimbursements for freight charges. The firm will also put more investments in local marketing to restore the Bud Light brand image.
"We recognize that over the last two months, the discussion surrounding our company and Bud Light has moved away from beer, and this has impacted our consumers, our business partners, and our employees. We are a beer company, and beer is for everyone,” the statement from the company said. “As we move forward, we will focus on what we do best: brewing great beer and earning our place in moments that matter to you. Here’s to a future with more cheers.”
Corporate endorsement of “Pride Month” this year has induced record backlash, causing not only Bud Light’s sales to decline, but also prompting Target to experience disdain from consumers. Target has meanwhile faced bomb threats from LGBT activists upset with the firm’s choice to move their “Pride” merchandise to the back of stores in conservative areas.
