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Bud Light is being plagued with fresh calls to be boycotted after the beer brand sponsored an LGBTQ+ Pride event in Arizona over the weekend.
The brand and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, monopolized headlines beginning in April after it partnered with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney for a promotion, sparking boycott calls from celebrities and individuals for months.
Rapper Kid Rock and country singers John Rich and Travis Tritt are among the well-known names who called for a boycott of Bud Light, which ultimately led to a drastic drop in sales. Although it looked like the dust was starting to settle, social media users are criticizing the brand for co-sponsoring the Phoenix Pride weekend festivities.
One social media user posted on X, formerly Twitter: "Stay away from Phoenix. This weekend's Phoenix Pride Festival Presented by Bud Light will feature a drag show with kids invited and a drag group mocking Jesus, nuns, etc. Woke Bud Light being woke Bud Light."
Supporting the boycott, one person replied to the post: "BOYCOTT THESE ANTIAMERICANS."
"The demons are out this weekend, Sodom and Gomorrah US Arizona edition," another social media user said.
The event was able to go ahead despite the backlash online, with the boycott not impacting the festivities, according to the event's social media channels.
Newsweek reached out to Phoenix Pride and Bud Light via email for comment.
The brand's initial controversy started when Mulvaney shared in April that she was sent a personalized Bud Light can with her face on it to commemorate the first year of her living as a woman. She said: "This month, I celebrated my day 365 of womanhood, and Bud Light sent me possibly the best gift ever, a can with my face on it."
The boycott came in several forms, from celebrities telling their followers not to drink Bud Light to social media posts of people pouring out cans and even shooting them. Mulvaney said in May that since partnering with Bud Light, she felt unsafe at times and that she had been "followed on and off."
In addition to Bud Light, other brands that faced calls for boycotts due to their support for the LGBTQ+ community were listed as co-sponsors for the Phoenix Pride Parade, which was held on October 22 alongside the festival. Target and PetSmart were criticized earlier this year for selling Pride Month merchandise.
While initially facing a sharp decline in beer sales and stock prices, Bud Light has since reported that its stocks have started to rise again.
