Why Some Transgender People Are Turning On Bud Light After Mulvaney Drama

While Bud Light has seemingly seen the brunt of the backlash to its partnership with Dylan Mulvaney coming from conservatives opposed to the brand aligning itself with the transgender community, a growing number of voices from that community are now speaking out against the beer.

Since calls for a boycott emerged on social media at the start of April, Bud Light's parent company has, in the words of a marketing strategist, made a series of "knee-jerk" moves to quell the outrage, including releasing an advert for Budweiser infused with patriotic imagery and placing marketing executives involved in the partnership on leave.

But these appear to have only drawn accusations that the brand was pandering to transphobes after committing to supporting the LGBTQ+ movement, and the row has crystallized into a broader debate about the acceptance of transgender individuals in public life.

On April 14, Brendan Whitworth, CEO of parent company Anheuser-Busch, issued an official statement, saying: "We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer."

Supporters of Kari Lake, the Donald Trump-backed GOP candidate for Arizona Governor in 2022, refused to drink the beer at an open bar at a rally in Iowa. A bar owner in Kentucky said he had noticed the drink sparking rows between patrons and other licensed venues have withdrawn the beer from sale.

Sales of Bud Light have also dropped "dramatically" since the controversy began, according to industry monitors, with its market share being absorbed by its main competitors—though there are competing accounts as to whether the boycott calls were the primary driver of this.

Emma Ferrara, chief business development officer at Viral Nation, who coordinates partnerships between leading brands and top influencers, previously told Newsweek that a brewery with such a historic identity as Anheuser-Busch could seem "inauthentic" by wading into social justice issues, making it "appear as if they've lost track of the consumer."

While she felt there was little the company could do currently to extricate itself from the PR headache, Ferrara argued that it could still appeal to other parts of its audience if it appeared "credible" rather than like it was "jumping on a trend."

But Anheuser-Busch's attempts to appease those outraged by the partnership have now drawn the ire of the community it was originally appealing to with its deal with Mulvaney.

Stacy Lentz, a co-owner of the Stonewall Inn, told Newsweek that the brewery had "missed an opportunity to stand by their commitment to the trans community by pandering to and giving into transphobic outcries."

"As far as marketing, I hope and think they realized that as a brand they will be extinct in a few years if they are not fully on the side of equality, as that is what the Gen Z consumer expects and demands," she added.

In 2021, the Stonewall Inn mounted a boycott of its own, saying it would not serve Bud Light during New York Pride to protest Anheuser-Busch's donations to politicians who had supported anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. The company has largely funded Republican campaigns, but has also contributed to Democrat campaigns.

Lentz expressed sympathy for Mulvaney "as this whole thing was not handled well and she was caught in the middle of a horrible fire storm."

On April 17, the Advocate, a U.S.-based LGBTQ+ magazine, published an opinion piece in which John Casey, a PR professional and frequent contributor, called for a boycott of Bud Light "for validating trans hate."

"Rather than come to the defense of a transgender woman, rather than defend a noble campaign that sought to reflect acceptance, and rather than let the campaign with Mulvaney speak for itself, Anheuser-Busch poured alcohol all over an extremist's fire, and that will continue to singe our community," he argued.

According to trade publication Ad Age, advocacy group The Human Rights Campaign wrote to Anheuser-Busch last week, demanding it "stand in solidarity" with the trans community and accusing it of demonstrating "a profound lack of fortitude in upholding its values."

Newsweek approached Anheuser-Busch via email for comment Tuesday.

On Saturday, one Twitter user said they were "disappointed" that Bud Light had been "walking back your support of the trans and LGBTQ+ community" by appealing to those against the partnership.

A transgender woman tweeted that the way the company had dealt with the backlash was "horrible and disrespectful to the trans community."

"It's so sick and disgusting that they would appease all these transphobes instead of pushing for our acceptance," she said.

While Bud Light has seen a notable drop in its market share since the controversy began, a recent poll conducted on behalf of Newsweek showed the vast majority of Bud Light drinkers would continue to purchase the beer—though 12 percent said they wouldn't.

A Morning Consult survey, conducted roughly two weeks after the backlash started, found that a slim majority—53 percent—of U.S. beer drinkers said they would feel favorably towards a brand that works with a transgender spokesperson.

This speaks to a wider trend of transgender rights and inclusion being issues that are proving deeply polarizing in the U.S. A survey by the Pew Research Center in 2022 found that 38 percent of Americans believed that society had gone too far in accepting transgender people, while 36 percent said it had not gone far enough.

Update 05/03/23, 3:33 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include comment from Stacy Lentz of the Stonewall Inn.