Chicago gay bars boycott Bud Light after Dylan Mulvaney incident.

Controversial Partnership Sparks Backlash Against Anheuser-Busch

Gay Bars Boycott Anheuser-Busch Products

The recent partnership between Anheuser-Busch and transgender-identifying activist Dylan Mulvaney has sparked backlash from both sides of the political spectrum. In response, several gay bars in Chicago are boycotting all Anheuser-Busch InBev products over the company’s alleged “anti-transgender actions and statements.”

• 2Bears Tavern Group, which owns four gay bars in Chicago, announced in an Instagram post that they are discontinuing Anheuser-Busch InBev products as a result of the brewer’s anti-transgender actions and statements.
• The brewing corporation’s response “shows how little Anheuser-Busch cares about the LGBTQIA+ community, and in particular transgender people, who have been under unrelenting attack in this country,” according to 2Bears.

Similarly, the owner of a Florida seafood restaurant chain announced last month that he was removing Bud Light products from his establishments over Anheuser-Busch’s actions. In an open letter to the corporation via Facebook, Grills Seafood Deck and Tiki Bar owner Joe Penovich wrote, “I am disgusted by what you have done and what you are doing.”

Conservative Critics and LGBT Activists Speak Out

Conservative critics of Anheuser-Busch’s team-up have voiced outrage over what they view as the corporation participating in the erasure and mockery of women. Mulvaney, a male, has claimed over the past year that he’s a “girl,” documenting his “journey” online.

Seemingly attempting some damage control, Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth put out a statement last month saying that the corporation “never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” adding, “We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”

• The statement contained no mea culpa and no mention of Mulvaney or the radical transgender ideology he espouses, further upsetting conservative critics.
• The statement also upset LGBT activists, who felt the corporation was “caving” to conservatives.

The controversy surrounding Anheuser-Busch’s partnership with Mulvaney continues to spark debate and backlash from various groups.