Dylan Mulvaney addressed the anti-trans backlash that followed her partnership with Bud Light.
On April 1, Dylan posted a brief video onto her Instagram page promoting Bud Light for March Madness, along with a custom can that the company had sent her with her face on it. The video sparked hateful, anti-trans vitriol that dominated the conservative news cycle. Them reported that the New York Post has covered Dylan or the Bud Light backlash every day since April 6th*, excluding weekends, even wracking up 11 articles in one day.
Two weeks later, Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth issued a statement that read, "We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer."
Dylan herself has largely kept things vague in response to the situation, but, in a new video posted today, she delved into what happened — while holding a glass of beer. "Hi, one thing I will not tolerate people saying about me is that I don't like beer, because I love beer, and I always have," she began.
Adding that while the story "might sound like old news," Dylan said that she felt as if she has "something uncomfy sitting on [her] chest." She explained, "I took a brand deal with a company that I loved, and I posted a sponsored video to my page. And it must have been a slow news week, because the way that this ad got blown up, you would have thought I was on a billboard, or on a TV commercial, or something major — but no, it was just an Instagram video."
"You might be thinking, 'Dylan, why bring it up now?' I'm bringing it up, because what transpired from that video was more bullying and transphobia than I could have ever imagined. I should have made this video months ago, but I didn't. I was scared. I was scared of more backlash. And I felt personally guilty for what transpired, so I patiently waited for things to get better. But, surprise, they haven't really. And I was waiting for the brand to reach out to me, but they never did. And for months now, I've been scared to leave my house, I have been ridiculed in public, I've been followed. And I have felt a loneliness that I wouldn't wish on anyone," she continued, visibly getting emotional.
Turning their attention to Bud Light, they continued, "For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them 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. And the hate doesn't end with me, it has serious and grave consequences for the rest of our community."
"You know, we're customers, too," Dylan said. "To turn a blind eye and pretend everything is okay just isn't an option right now. And you might say, 'But Dylan, I don't want to get political' — babe, supporting trans people, it shouldn't be political. There should be nothing controversial or divisive about working with us. And I know it's possible because I've worked with some fantastic companies who care — but caring about the LGBTQ+ community requires a lot more than just a donation somewhere during Pride month."
Calling on her followers to support "every trans person" beyond just her, Dylan continued, "Hey, it's still Pride Month. So, I'm going to celebrate being alive — and I'm going to celebrate the trans people in my life and the ones I haven't met yet. And I'm going to celebrate the fact that no matter how many thousands of horrible messages, or news anchors misgendering me, or companies going silent, that I can look in the mirror and see the woman that I am and that I love being."
