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Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney opened up on "being a target" as people call for a Bud Light boycott after it partnered with her.
Mulvaney, 26, has 10.8 million followers on TikTok and became well known for documenting her gender transition on the social media platform.
With her growing popularity have come a number of brand deals, including with Kate Spade and Nike, but one brand interaction has incited a violent response from conservatives.
She posted a personalized can of Bud Light beer with her face on it, sent to her by the company to mark the one year anniversary of her tradition. She was also hired by the brand to promote its March Madness contest.
But the move prompted calls to boycott Bud Light and even resulted in musician Kid Rock shooting multiple cans of the beer with a machine gun.
Mulvaney mused on the growing backlash to her success during an appearance on comedian Rosie O'Donnell's podcast.
"The reason I think I'm an easy target is because I'm still new to this. I think going after a trans woman who has been doing this for 20 years is a lot more difficult," she said. "Maybe they think there's some sort of chance with me that they can—but I mean, what is their goal?"
Mulvaney appeared on the Onward with Rosie O'Donnell show, which airs on the iHeartPodcasts' Outspoken Podcast Network to speak about her very public transition. She also talked about dating and admitted she wanted to have children at some point in the future.
"I actually haven't started dating yet, it's not something that has come up just because I've been doing so much work on my own transition," she said. "I think it's scary to then have someone come in and when you're in the middle of transitioning, my [anatomy] might change, and I think that I do fear where my romance will come from.
"But at the end of the day, I know that I'm worthy of love and I'm worthy of something more than just some sexual experience."
Mulvaney added: "I will be a great girlfriend one day, I do want kids and that's a very controversial statement to make as a trans person because we are so under fire as these like 'groomer/predator' types.
"It breaks my heart to think that that would limit my abilities to have children… it makes me really sad."
Mulvaney also broke her silence online after the Bud Light furor, appearing makeup free and admitting to feeling down in a TikTok video.
"Hi, how are you? I haven't been making as many videos, there's been a lot going on and I was feeling a little down today, but I was walking on the sidewalk in New York and this garbage truck drives by me and garbage truck driver leaned out of the window and said, 'Hello Dylan'," she started.
Mulvaney replied saying "hello" and giving the driver a wave back.
"It was the most unexpected person and it gave me the courage to keep going. I love you and if you're that man and is watching this right now, you really made my day, and I especially love you," she said.
The backlash to Mulvaney's partnership with Bud Light comes after other brands such as chocolate maker Hershey's and Jack Daniels whiskey came under fire for collaborating with transgender people and other members of the LGBTQ+ community, such as drag queens.
It also comes at a time when transgender issues are under intense scrutiny, with more than 385 anti-trans bills introduced in the U.S. in 2023 alone. Some lawmakers are calling for the repeal of transgender rights, including access to healthcare and access to public restrooms.
"Lies about trans people are being used by Christian nationalist organizations and politicians to validate legislation targeting the trans community… anti-trans rhetoric and disinformation are centered around the myth that transgender identities are not real," wrote Imara Jones and Margaret Huang for Newsweek.
The writers said: "This violent rhetoric—like the call to eradicate 'transgenderism' at CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference)—has corrosive consequences for us all.
"Trans people are 2.5 times more likely to be victims of violence than cisgender people—and as anti-trans disinformation intensifies, so too does the threat to trans people and those who support them."
Jones is the founder and CEO of Translash Media and Huang is the president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more