(Fox Business) The Human Rights Campaign is calling on Anheuser-Busch, the owner of the Bud Light brand, to publicly reaffirm its support for the transgender community in response to pushback from conservatives after the company partnered with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney.
“In this moment, it is absolutely critical for Anheuser-Busch to stand in solidarity with Dylan and the trans community,” the LGBTQ advocacy group said in a letter this week to Anheuser-Busch, according to The Hill.
The organization took issue with the company’s response to the controversy which came in the form of a statement that said, in part, “we never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”
“However, when faced with anti-LGBTQ+ and transphobic criticism, Anheuser-Busch’s actions demonstrate a profound lack of fortitude in upholding its values of diversity, equity, and inclusion to employees, customers, shareholders and the LGBTQ+ community,” the letter from the HRC said.
Bud Light has faced intense backlash from longtime customers over recent campaign with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney. (Instagram/Fox News / Fox News)
“This not only lends credence to hate-filled rhetoric, it exposes Anheuser-Busch to long-term business impacts with employees and customers increasingly looking for steadfast commitment to LGBTQ+ corporate citizenships.”
Anheuser-Busch sparked significant backlash, boycotts and even a leadership shakeup since Mulvaney revealed earlier this month that the beer company sent packs of Bud Light to Mulvaney with the transgender activist’s face on the cans as part of an ad for the beer company’s March Madness contest and as a way to celebrate Mulvaney’s full year of “girlhood.”
ANHEUSER-BUSCH HIRES EX-GOP AIDES TO LOBBY AS BUD LIGHT’S DYLAN MULVANEY CONTROVERSY DRAGS ON
Dylan Mulvaney attends her Day 365 Live! at The Rainbow Room on March 13, 2023 in New York City. ((Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
A second video then featured a bikini-clad Mulvaney frolicking in a bathtub while drinking a Bud Light beer as part of the campaign. Backlash has been significant, starting with many wondering if the pact was some sort of April Fool’s gag. In the days since, country music singer John Rich said he pulled cases of Bud Light from his Nashville bar, conservative rocker Kid Rock used several Bud Light cases for target practice in a viral video, Anheuser-Busch distributors in rural areas have expressed concern and the beer juggernaut’s value took a hit.
