Mulvaney alleged the company ‘never’ contacted her amid the controversy
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Dylan Mulvaney apparently addresses Bud Light for the first time publicly.
On Thursday, the actor and social media influencer, who is transgender, posted a TikTok video calling out Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light’s parent company, for not contacting her amid ensuing harmful transphobic rhetoric. their partnership. Mulvaney did not use the company name directly.
Mulvaney first released a short clip with the beer brand this spring. Shortly after, it sparked hateful comments among conservative social media figures, The politicians and celebrities, many of whom have used transphobic rhetoric to attack Bud Light for turning to “woke” advertising. Some customers also boycotted the company’s beers.
Mulvaney, who has more than 10.6 million followers on TikTok, did not provide more information on the controversy so far. In a video titled “Trans people love beer too,” she candidly responded to the backlash.
“One thing I won’t tolerate people saying about me is that I don’t like beer, and I always have,” the TikTok creator said at the start of the video.
Mulvaney then summarized the sequence of events. “I made a deal with the brand I loved and posted a sponsored video on my page. And it must have been a slow news week because the way that ad exploded, you would have thought that I was on a billboard or in a TV commercial…” she said, adding that the company sent her a can of beer with her face on it which she no longer finds at home. “When I find it, I feel like it needs to go to a museum – preferably behind bulletproof glass.”
Following the hateful comments directed at her, Mulvaney later admitted that she “should have made this video months ago”.
“I bring this up because what came out of that video was more bullying and transphobia than I could have ever imagined,” she said. Mulvaney would have made this video sooner but she was afraid of more backlash, she said.
Related: Everything you need to know about the Bud Light controversy
Dylan Mulvaney’s Bud Light ad that sparked controversy” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/VPYyAutDjGprAEEjeQZ.Gg–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTQyMDtoPTY1MA–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/people_218/2a4ee49dd91c37131436e4377ccdeca9″ class=”caas-img”/>
Dylan Mulvaney/Instagram
Dylan Mulvaney’s Bud Light ad that sparked controversy
Mulvaney then revealed that she had been waiting for the brand to contact her for the past few months, but “they never did.” She listed the negative effects the subsequent response to the ad had on her.
“For months, I have been afraid to leave my house. I was ridiculed in public. I was followed. And I felt a loneliness that I wouldn’t wish on anyone,” she said. “If that’s my experience from a very privileged perspective, know that it’s much, much worse for other trans people.”
Related: Garth Brooks Explains Why He Talked About Inclusivity: “Our Differences Are Our Greatest Strengths”
“For a company to hire a trans person and not support them publicly 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. “, she continued. “And the hate doesn’t stop with me. This has serious and grave consequences for the rest of our community. And we are also customers. I know a lot of trans and queer people who love beer.
Dylan Mulvaney’s personalized Bud Light can” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/2Jksm4IOmLrDktJhJj97dw–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTY0MDtoPTkwNA–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/people_218/aef8800d71c439d727a99e6acced780c” class=”caas-img”/>
Dylan Mulvaney/Instagram
Dylan Mulvaney’s personalized Bud Light can
She then explained her frustration with the silent tactic.
“Closing your eyes and pretending everything’s fine – that’s just not an option right now. And you might say, ‘But Dylan, I don’t want to get into politics.’ Baby, supporting trans people shouldn’t be political. There shouldn’t be anything controversial or divisive about working with us.”
Mulvaney ended the video on a high note, pleading with her followers to support trans people. She said she would like something “productive” to come out of it and then provided a link for people to donate to the Transgender Law Center.
Related: TikTok Star Dylan Mulvaney on Dating as a Trans Woman: ‘ I get a redo & # 39;
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Dylan Mulvaney/TikTok
Dylan Mulvaney responds to Bud Light controversy
“I’m going to celebrate the fact that no matter how many thousands of horrible posts or news anchors that mislead me or companies that keep quiet, I can look in the mirror and see the woman that I am and that I likes to be,” she added. .
A spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch told PEOPLE in a statement that they “remain committed to the programs and partnerships we have forged over the decades with organizations in a number of communities, including those in the LGBTQ+ community. The privacy and safety of our employees and partners is always our top priority. As we move forward, we will focus on what we do best: brewing great beer for everyone and earning our place in the moments that matter to our consumers.”
Mulvaney’s video comes after company CEO Brendan Whitworth appeared on CBS Matinees Wednesday, and did not directly answer the question of whether it was a “mistake” to associate with the young activist.
Mulvaney, however, found supporters among some public figures. Earlier this month, Garth Brooks said Billboard that he will serve “all brands of beer” at his Friends In Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk in Nashville.
“We just are. It is not our decision to make. This is our thing, if you [are let] in this house, love one another,” he said. “If you’re an asshole, there are plenty of other places on lower Broadway.”
At a press conference the week after his statement – where he announced a new station on his SEVENS radio network on TuneIn Radio – Brooks revealed he had “always been inclusive” and that was not changing for his new bar.
“I think if you know Garth Brooks, no matter how long you’ve known him, [he’s] has always been inclusive. We’re going to need each other, trust me,” Brooks said, per entertainment tonight. “It’s like when we got this team together for The BIG 615 [station]. You’re going to need all these different talents.”
“So I think, [with regards to] diversity, inclusiveness, I think what you find is that our differences are our greatest strengths,” he said, according to the outlet.
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “FORCE” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected with a Certified Crisis Counselor.
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