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Trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney has faced bullying and transphobia since April, when she collaborated with Bud Light on a sponsored Instagram post. But the brand hasn’t defended her or even checked in, Mulvaney noted in a video posted to her Instagram channel on Thursday.
“I was waiting for the brand to reach out to me, but they never did,” Mulvaney said, adding that she has been scared to leave the house, ridiculed in public, followed and felt loneliness she “wouldn’t wish on anyone.”
Right-wing activists have not only been harassing Mulvaney, but also boycotting Bud Light, which has seen a decline in sales as a result. In response to the backlash, Bud Light parent Anheuser-Busch InBev CEO Michel Doukeris distanced the company from its collaboration with Mulvaney, saying that the Bud Light-sponsored Instagram post by the influencer wasn’t a fully fledged ad campaign.
“For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse in my opinion than not hiring a trans person at all because it gives customers permission to be as transphobic and hateful as they want,” said Mulvaney in her video on Thursday.
Supporting trans people, she said, should not be political.
“There should be nothing controversial or divisive about working with us,” said Mulvaney. “I know it is possible because I have worked with some fantastic companies that care.”
In response to Mulvaney’s video, a spokesperson for Bud Light parent Anheuser-Busch explained that the company remains committed to the programs and partnerships it has forged over decades with organizations across a number of communities, including those in the LGBTQ+ community.
“The privacy and safety of our employees and our partners is always our top priority,” said the spokesperson in a statement emailed to PRWeek. “As we move forward, we will focus on what we do best: brewing great beer for everyone and earning our place in moments that matter to our consumers.”
The company did not comment further on Mulvaney’s post.
A conservative social media uproar and boycott campaign started after Bud Light sent Mulvaney a can of beer with her face on it in early April. The trans influencer, celebrating March Madness and her first year of womanhood, posted the swag bag on Instagram and encouraged followers to participate in Bud Light’s #EasyCarryContest.
Here’s how comms and marketing pros are reacting to the matter…
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