A transgender influencer, Dylan Mulvaney, who faced backlash and a boycott after promoting Bud Light on social media, has spoken out about the controversy for the first time. In a series of videos shared on her social media accounts, Mulvaney revealed that she had been subjected to stalking, personal attacks, death threats, and bomb threats since featuring Bud Light in an Instagram video in April. She expressed her disappointment that the beer maker had failed to reach out to her and support her during this difficult time.
Mulvaney emphasized the impact of the bullying and transphobia she experienced, expressing feelings of loneliness and fear. She shared her hope that Bud Light would have reached out to her, stating that it is worse for a company to hire a trans person and not stand by them publicly than to not hire a trans person at all. However, Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Bud Light, did not respond to a request for comment on whether they had tried to contact Mulvaney since the boycotts began.
The controversy surrounding Mulvaney and Bud Light arose amidst the passing of laws that restrict medical care for transgender individuals, control their access to bathrooms, and dictate how schools should handle transgender students’ gender identities. Republican state lawmakers have continued to propose legislation that aims to regulate the lives of young transgender people and requires schools to disclose information about transgender students to their parents.
Mulvaney originally posted a video on her Instagram account about a $15,000 giveaway sponsored by Bud Light during March Madness, as well as a special Bud Light can with her face on it to celebrate her one-year milestone of publicly sharing her transition journey. This led to calls for a boycott, with musician Kid Rock being one of the prominent voices against the partnership, even posting a video of himself shooting a stack of Bud Light cases.
As a result of the controversy, Bud Light sales significantly declined, leading to two marketing executives going on leave. The brand also announced a shift in their marketing campaigns to focus on sports and music. However, Bud Light has faced criticism from members of the LGBTQ+ community for its lackluster response to the backlash.
The conservative outcry has also extended to other brand partnerships with transgender individuals, such as Target, which had to alter its marketing due to opposition from anti-LGBTQ+ groups. Country singer Garth Brooks faced criticism when he mentioned at a music event that his new bar in Nashville would serve various types of beer, including Bud Light.
Mulvaney, who has a substantial following on TikTok, where she documented her transition in a viral series called “Days of Girlhood,” has previously addressed the hostility she has faced without directly responding to the Bud Light controversy. In an interview on a podcast, she described herself as an “easy target” and expressed her confusion over the need to dehumanize and be cruel.
In her recent video, Mulvaney called on companies to provide support to the LGBTQ+ community beyond just donations and promotional campaigns, emphasizing that supporting trans people should not be seen as a political issue. She believes there is nothing controversial or divisive about working with the community.
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