Amid the controversies involving Bud Light’s association with transgender TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Anheuser-Busch InBev remains steadfast in its commitment to support transgender causes.
This resilience has been especially highlighted by mid-level managers within the company, despite the significant financial and cultural repercussions stemming from the contentious partnership.
An extensive exploration by The Guardian delved deep into the issues connected to Dylan Mulvaney and scrutinized its effects on Bud Light, Breitbart’s Paul Bois has pointed out.
The article brought to light insights from numerous internal sources and various LGBTQ+ groups with whom the company has previously collaborated, or intends to associate in upcoming events.
Phoenix Pride disclosed that Anheuser-Busch InBev is slated to sponsor a festival in the ensuing month, promising a range of “family-friendly drag entertainment.”
Jeremy Helfgot, a representative for Phoenix Pride, emphasized the significance of support from corporate associates like Bud Light, declaring, “It’s only because of the support of corporate partners like Bud Light that we can do that.”
He continued to explain that the event aims to showcase drag performances less than three miles away from the Arizona capital, a locale witnessing efforts to curtail such cultural expressions.
Alyssa Nitchun, who leads New York’s Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, focused on LGBTQ+ themes, suggested that corporations like Bud Light should empower organizations like hers to “drive the conversation.”
She stated, “In light of what happened with Bud Light and other canceled brands, they should trust organizations like ours to drive the conversation.”
Nitchun advised corporations wishing to extend support to the LGBTQIA+ community to consult queer employees about their preferences and requirements.
“You want to support the LGBTQIA+ community? Ask the queer folks working for you what they want and need,” she said.
However, discussions with a former employee of the company revealed that Anheuser-Busch InBev might have faltered in extending adequate leadership during the backlash that followed the collaboration with Dylan Mulvaney.
The ex-employee detailed a pervasive sense of “panic and a lot of rash decision-making” within the company, with leadership maintaining silence for over a month.
Eventually, a high-ranking individual from Anheuser-Busch did issue a statement, even though it was perceived as vague and noncommittal, addressing essentially “nothing.”
This narrative underscores the brewing company’s resolve to persist in endorsing transgender and broader LGBTQ+ agendas, even as it navigates the challenges and debates engendered by its alliance with influencers like Dylan Mulvaney.
