On 1 April, trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney took to Instagram to promote Bud Light’s March Madness contest whilst simultaneously celebrating her first year living as a woman.
While many of her fans celebrated the wholesome partnership, conservative individuals announced their boycott of Bud Light and spewed harmful anti-trans rhetoric.
Country singer Kid Rock filmed himself shooting several Bud Light cases with a submachine gun, while anti-LGBTQ+, Trump-loving gun advocate Marjorie Taylor Greene barbarically described Mulvaney as “one of the biggest paedophiles in America today.”
Bud Light creator Anheuser-Busch Budweiser and their Van Nuys, California factory also received bomb threats over the inclusive partnership, per CBS News.
However despite the aforementioned hate, a new poll has revealed that most American beer drinkers have no problem with companies working with trans spokespeople.
According to a Morning Consult survey – which was conducted between 14-17 April and featured 4,401 participants – 53% of monthly beer drinkers were favourable to brands working with a trans spokesperson, compared to 47% of all US adults.
In regards to generational data, 55% of Gen Z adults and 50% of millennials expressed a favourable attitude towards brands with trans-inclusive partnerships.
The Majority of Beer Drinkers Support Brand Partnerships With Trans Spokespeople https://t.co/Jo4OWtklDa via @EllynBriggs
— Morning Consult (@MorningConsult) April 27, 2023
44% of Gen Xers and 42% of Baby Boomers surveyed also had favourable attitudes.
Lastly, 66% of Democrats supported trans-inclusive beer partnerships, while 49% of Republicans were opposed, and 26% held favourable views.
Morning Consult’s insightful poll was released the same day Mulvaney broke her weeks-long silence regarding the Bud Light controversy.
“A lot has been said about me. Some of which is so far from my truth that I was hearing my name, and I didn’t know who they were talking about sometimes,” she explained to her 10.8 million followers on TikTok.
“It was so loud that I didn’t even feel part of the conversation, so I decided to take the backseat.”
Dylan went on to assure her fans that she was “doing okay” and “trying this new thing” where she doesn’t pressure herself to share parts of herself before she’s ready.
“What I’m struggling with most is that I grew up in a conservative family, and I’m extremely privileged because they still love me very much,” she added.
“And I grew up in the church, and I still have my faith, which I am really trying to hold onto right now. But I’ve always tried to love everyone, you know, even the people who make it really, really hard.
“And I think it’s okay to be frustrated with someone or confused, but what I’m struggling to understand is the need to dehumanize and to be cruel. I just, I don’t think that’s right. Dehumanization has never fixed anything in history, ever.”