Bud Light sponsorship of transgender activist sparks conservative backlash

Record ID: 1719315

  • Title: Bud Light sponsorship of transgender activist sparks conservative backlash
  • Date: 7th April 2023
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - JUNE 16, 2008) (REUTERS) (MUTE) IMAGE OF CANS OF BUD LIGHT ON STORE SHELF
  • Embargoed: 21st April 2023 05:14
  • Keywords: Controversy Dylan Mulaney Instagram Kid Rock Sponsorshp TikTok
  • Location: VARIOUS
  • City: VARIOUS
  • Country: US
  • Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,North America,Social Media
  • Reuters ID: LVA00C346906042023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS SOME PROFANITY AND AN OFFENSIVE GESTURE.
    Bud Light's sponsorship of transgender activist and TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney has sparked a backlash among conservatives, including singer Kid Rock, who posted a video of himself shooting a rifle at packs of the beer brand.
    Mulvaney posted a video of herself on Instagram last weekend, along with several cans of Bud Light, to promote a contest tied to the completion of the March Madness college basketball tournament. She also showed a special beer can given to her by Anheuser-Busch commemorating her "365 days of girlhood" TikTok series.
    On Monday (April 3), Kid Rock responded with the video, saying "Grandpa is feeling a little frisky today. Let me say something to all of you and be as clear and concise as possible," then firing the gun at the stacks of Bud Light.
    Other conservatives have called for a boycott of the beer.
    But Georgia College marketing professor Dr. Joanna Schwartz doesn't expect the conservative outrage to have a major effect on Bud Light's sale, in part because this is not the first time the brand has shown support for the LGBTQ community.
    "It's not out of character for Bud Light. I mean, they've had rainbows on their beer cans, I mean, for years and actually have been supporting the LGBT community for decades," said Schwartz. "So the fact that this particular item was sort of picked up and run with and the fact that it's gaining traction, I really don't see this as a problem at all for Bud Light. And in some ways it might help."
    Bar patrons Reuters spoke with in Phoenix, Arizona were split on the sponsorship. Nineteen year old student Angela Duarte said she supported Mulvaney's partnership with the beer brand, saying she thought that the backlash amounted to an "overreaction" by men with "fragile masculinity". But 62-year-old Suzy Faz said, "I will definitely be boycotting them, just for the family, because I don't believe in shoving anything into anybody's face."
    In a statement to Fox News on Monday, an Anheuser-Busch spokesman said:
    “Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics and passion points,” adding “From time to time, we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Dylan Mulvaney. This commemorative can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public.”
    (Production: Liliana Salgado, Tom Rowe)
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