Illinois Gay Bars Boycott Bud Light Over Anti-Transgender Comments

Some Illinois gay bars have announced boycotts of Bud Light and other Anheuser-Busch products for anti-transgender comments the company made following its partnership with Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender influencer and activist.

"In view of Anheuser-Busch InBev's abandonment of its support for transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney, the subsequent reprehensible and divisive comments by its CEO, and Anheuser-Busch putting on involuntary leave at least two of its marketing executives involved in the marketing campaign that celebrated Mulvaney's transgender journey, 2Bears Tavern Group is discontinuing all Anheuser-Busch InBev products, including Busch Light, Bud Light, and Goose Island 312," the 2Bears Tavern Group wrote in a Facebook post last week.

"Anheuser-Busch's decision to drop its support of Mulvaney in response to ignorant and hateful objections by some of its customers shows how little Anheuser-Busch cares about the LGBTQIA+ community, and in particular transgender people, who have been under unrelenting attack in this country."

The announcement by the group, which owns several LGBTQIA+ bars across Chicago, comes amid ongoing controversy surrounding Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch. In April, Mulvaney posted an Instagram video showcasing a customized Bud Light can that the brand sent her to promote her transition to a woman.

The partnership initially sparked criticism and backlash from conservative voices, such as musician Kid Rock. However, Bud Light CEO Brendan Whitworth issued a statement saying that the beer brand "never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people," and Anheuser-Busch InBev CEO Michel Doukeris told investors last week that the post by Mulvaney "was the result of one can. It was not made for production or sale to general public. It was one post, not a formal campaign or advertisement."

The statement by the 2Bears Tavern Group mentioned the comments made by Whitworth and said they were "tantamount to saying that the rights and safety of transgender people are topics worthy of debate. They are not."

"Since Anheuser-Busch does not support us, we will not support it," the statement added.

While speaking with WLS-TV in Chicago, Mark Robertson a co-owner of the 2Bears Tavern Group said, "Unlike what we would expect from Anheuser-Busch, that had a history of supporting LGBTQ events and programing, sponsoring things like pride in Chicago, they chose to side with hate."

Newsweek reached out to the 2Bears Tavern Group via email for further comment.

The Sidetrack bar in Chicago, another gay bar, also announced that it was planning to "cease" the sale of all Anheuser-Busch products, saying that the company "wrongfully validates the position that it is acceptable to acquiesce to the demands of those who do not support the Trans community and wish to erase LGBTQ+ visibility."

Newsweek reached out to Anheuser-Busch via email for comment.