Dylan Mulvaney Breaks Silence Amid Bud Light Backlash

Dylan Mulvaney has broken her silence, sharing her first TikTok post in three weeks following the furor over her recent partnership with Bud Light.

For several weeks, the beer brand has been the focus of a deeply divided debate after sending transgender influencer Mulvaney a personalized can of its product.

Earlier in April, Mulvaney shared a video on Instagram in which she explained that Bud Light had sent her a can with her face on it to commemorate 365 days of her living as a woman. Mulvaney's Days of Girlhood video series, which charts her first year of transitioning, has been a viral success.

The partnership has drawn condemnation from some social media users, who issued calls for a boycott. Amid the backlash, musician Kid Rock shared footage of himself opening fire on a stack of Bud Light cans. Country music star Travis Tritt reacted by announcing that Budweiser would no longer be sold at his concerts.

Caitlyn Jenner, who transitioned to female in 2015, recommended an alternative beer brand as she commented on a Twitter post from British influencer Oli London, who previously identified as transracial, gender neutral and transgender.

Amid the ongoing criticism, some executives at Bud Light recently took a leave of absence, including marketing head Alissa Heinerscheid and Daniel Blake, who oversees marketing for Anheuser-Busch's mainstream brands.

Mulvaney broke her silence Thursday night, addressing the uproar and how it has affected her.

Dylan Mulvaney Statement in Full

"It's day 9,610 of being a human and I'm gonna try to leave gender out of this, since that's how we found ourselves here. I've been offline for a few weeks and a lot has been said about me, some of which is so far from my truth that I was like hearing my name and I didn't even know who they were talking about sometimes. It's a very disssociative feeling. And it was so loud that I didn't even feel part of the conversation. So I decided to take the backseat and just let them tucker themselves out.

"But then I remembered that nearly 13 million people, at some point, enjoyed me enough to hit the follow button on these apps. And I was like, 'Wait, wait, wait. I wanna talk to those people.' So hi! Long time no talk. How are you? You might wanna grab a beverage, this is gonna be a longer one.

"But I'm doing OK. And I'm trying this new thing where I don't pressure myself to share anything before I'm ready. And I'm actually sitting with my emotions, not reacting, waiting to respond—and shockingly, I can't recommend it more. Like, therapy is paying off here, people! But I do have some thoughts to share with you.

"So I've been having crazy déjà vu, because I'm an adult, I'm 26, and throughout childhood I was called too feminine and over the top. And here I am now being called all those same things—but this time it's from other adults. And if they're gonna accuse me of anything, it should be that I'm a theater person and that I'm camp. But this is just my personality and it always has been.

"What I'm struggling with most is that I grew up in a conservative family and I'm extremely privileged, because they still love me very much. And I grew up in the church and I still have my faith, which I am really trying to hold onto right now. But I've always tried to love everyone, you know—even the people that make it really, really hard. And I think it's OK to be frustrated with someone or confused.

"But what I'm struggling to understand is the need to dehumanize and to be cruel. I don't think that's right. You know, dehumanization has never fixed anything in history ever. And, you know, I'm embarrassed to even tell you this, but I was nervous that you were going to start believing those things that they were saying about me, since it is so loud. But I'm just gonna go ahead and trust that the people who know me and my heart won't listen to that noise.

"What I'm interested in is getting back to making people laugh and to never stop learning. And going forward, I wanna share parts of myself on here that have nothing to do with my identity, and I'm hoping those parts will still be exciting to you and will be enough. And to those of you who support me and choose to see my humanity—even if you don't fully understand or relate to me—thank you.

"I don't know if reincarnation is a thing, but in my next life, I would love to be someone non-confrontational, and uncontroversial. God, that sounds nice. The good news is that the people pleaser in me has nearly died, because there's no way of winning over everyone. But if you're still around, I am, too. And I love ya, and I hope you're having a great week and I missed you. OK, talk soon. Love you. Bye."

Political Divide

The conservative outrage at Bud Light is part of the ongoing culture war in the U.S. that has seen supporters and detractors group largely along political lines.

Mulvaney and other transgender people in the U.S. have received support from Democrats and liberals, including from White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

At a daily press briefing on April 20 Jean-Pierre said: "When a transgender American posts a video about a brand of beer they enjoy and it leads to bomb threats, it's clear that the level of violence and vitriol against transgender Americans has to stop."

Despite calls for a boycott, Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, has seen its stock value increase overall by 6.28 percent since March.

Many of the gains in stock value came before Mulvaney's ad feature on April 1, after which it fell, although it has since started to recover.

The company has been subject to bomb threats, which resulted in a bomb squad being dispatched to an Anheuser-Busch facility in Los Angeles.

A company employee told Patch Media that threats were made to other facilities across the country after Mulvaney's Bud Light post.

In an April 14 press release, Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said the company had no intention of dividing people.

It stated: "We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer."

The statement continued: "I care deeply about this country, this company, our brands, and our partners. I spend much of my time traveling across America, listening to and learning from our customers, distributors, and others.

"Moving forward, I will continue to work tirelessly to bring great beers to consumers across our nation."

Update 4/28/23, 3:40 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.

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