Dylan Mulvaney says it's worse to hire but not openly support a transgender person than it is to never hire a transgender person



Dylan Mulvaney, the transgender figure whose social media posts about Bud Light sparked a damaging boycott movement, said that the brand has not reached out to him amid the cultural firestorm.

In a video shared on social media, Mulvaney opined that it is worse for a company to hire a transgender individual and then not openly support that figure than it would be to never hire a transgender figure. Mulvaney said not standing behind the person gives customers the green light to be "transphobic" as well as "hateful."

Mulvaney claimed that he has faced "bullying" as well as "transphobia." He said he has been afraid to depart his house and has "been ridiculed in public" and "followed." He also said he has experienced "loneliness that I wouldn't wish on anyone."

Mulvaney, a man who identifies as a woman, said that regardless of "horrible messages, or news anchors misgendering me, or companies going silent," he can "see the woman that I am" when he looks into the mirror.

@dylanmulvaney

Trans people like beer too. 🏳️‍⚧️🍻

Bud Light recently resumed tweeting again after a prolonged period of silence on Twitter, but the new tweets have been ratioed due to long-lasting, widespread negative public sentiment.

Anheuser-Busch previously sent Mulvaney a can with his face on it. Earlier this year, Mulvaney showed a photo of the can in a video advertising Bud Light. Recently, when asked whether the company would send Mulvaney the can again, CEO Brendan Whitworth seemed to dodge the question. He said the company needs to understand what consumers want and expect from large brands. Pressed on whether the company had made a mistake, Whitworth said that Bud Light has supported the LGBTQ movement for years.

Indeed, the company has even continued to trumpet its support for the LGBT agenda in the face of the Mulvaney fiasco. A press release last month discussed Bud Light's support for the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. "We look forward to extending our work with the NGLCC to continue making a positive impact on the LGBTQ+ businesses that play a critical role in bringing people everywhere, together," Anheuser-Busch said, according to the press release.

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Anheuser-Busch CEO tells customers 'we hear you' in new message — but there's a noticeable omission



Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth sent a message to customers on Thursday pledging to focus on the company's product, not the culture wars, in the future.

In a statement, Whitworth lamented that "discussion surrounding our company and Bud Light has moved away from beer" over the last two months since Bud Light sponsored transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney. The boycott ensuing from that sponsorship has resulted in cratering sales, billions lost in market cap, and Bud Light being dethroned as America's No. 1 beer.

To rectify impacts of the boycott, Whitworth made three promises to Bud Light stakeholders and customers.

"First, we are investing to protect the jobs of our frontline employees," he pledged. "Second, we are providing financial assistance to our independent wholesalers to help them support their employees."

Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth. (LAURIE DIEFFEMBACQ/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)

Then, to Anheuser-Busch's "valued customers," he declared, "we hear you."

"Our summer advertising launches next week, and you can look forward to Bud Light reinforcing what you’ve always loved about our brand — that it’s easy to drink and easy to enjoy," he explained. "As we move forward, we will focus on what we do best — brewing great beer and earning our place in moments that matter to you."

Noticeably absent from the message was an apology. After all, Anheuser-Busch hired a marketing executive who voiced contempt for Bud Light's image and thus its core customers. That executive was replaced in the early days of the controversy.

Still, Whitworth is signaling a willingness to listen.

According to Axios, Whitworth is planning to embark on a summer road trip across the U.S., in connection with Bud Light's sponsorship of Major League Baseball, to listen to customers.

Whether Bud Light can claw back its position as America's top-selling beer, or whether American customers are willing to listen, remains to be seen. Their voice, thus far, has been heard loud and clear.

A simple — yet powerful — apology would probably go farther with customers than Anheuser-Busch executives think.

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Anheuser-Busch CEO's vanilla statement amid Bud Light transgender controversy promptly called out for lack of substance



As Anheuser-Busch faces backlash over its move to enlist a man who identifies as a transgender woman to advertise Bud Light beer, CEO Brendan Whitworth issued a statement on Friday that did not directly address the controversial move that has ignited a groundswell of negative consumer sentiment toward the company.

"As the CEO of a company founded in America’s heartland more than 165 years ago, I am responsible for ensuring every consumer feels proud of the beer we brew," Whitworth said in the statement. "We're honored to be part of the fabric of this country. Anheuser-Busch employs more than 18,000 people and our independent distributors employ an additional 47,000 valued colleagues. We have thousands of partners, millions of fans and a proud history supporting our communities, military, first responders, sports fans and hard-working Americans everywhere.

"We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer," he noted. "My time serving this country taught me the importance of accountability and the values upon which America was founded: freedom, hard work and respect for one another. As CEO of Anheuser-Busch, I am focused on building and protecting our remarkable history and heritage.

I care deeply about this country, this company, our brands and our partners. I spend much of my time traveling across America, listening to and learning from our customers, distributors and others," Whitworth added. "Moving forward, I will continue to work tirelessly to bring great beers to consumers across our nation."

Conservative commentator Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire pointed out that the company's statement will not please people on either side of the issue.

"Anheuser Busch has finally released a statement, and it’s just as clumsy and stupid as the marketing stunt that got them into this mess in the first place," Walsh tweeted. "The statement won't satisfy their conservative customers because there is no apology or acknowledgment of wrong. And it won't satisfy the Left because it doesn’t affirm transgenderism and admits at least (without using the word) that the trans issue 'divides people,'" Walsh wrote.

Daily Wire editor emeritus Ben Shapiro noted that the statement failed to deal with the issue: "Anheiser-Busch [sic] CEO has now released a statement in which he addresses zero of the problems with hiring a man cosplaying as a woman to sell cheap beer to a predominantly male audience."

Megyn Kelly, who describes herself on Twitter as a journalist, succinctly summed up the situation by tweeting, "Another FAIL."

\u201cAnother FAIL\u201d
— Megyn Kelly (@Megyn Kelly) 1681505179

Some pointed out the lack of substance in the statement, suggesting that it said "nothing."

Jake Schneider of the Republican National Committee described the statement as "200 words of nothing."

"Such mealy-mouthed nothingness. If the CEO thing doesn’t work out, he could be a law school dean," tweeted Ilya Shapiro, senior fellow and director of constitutional studies at the Manhattan Institute.

"I've never seen so many words to say literally nothing at all," tweeted YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen, who describes himself as "progressive."

"This is the most corporatized corporate statement I've ever read. Says nothing, means nothing, and just makes the conservatives raging about how Bud Light has gone trans dig in their heels even more," tweeted Justin Baragona of the Daily Beast.

The controversy erupted earlier this month after Mulvaney posted content on social media promoting Bud Light — in the video, Mulvaney noted that Bud Light had sent him a can with his likeness on it.

"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. 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," an Anheuser-Busch spokesperson told Fox News Digital earlier this month.

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