Popular LGBTQ+-owned bars in Chicago have announced plans to boycott Anheuser-Busch beer following a controversial marketing campaign surrounding transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Sidetrack Bar announced it will no longer sell Bud, Bud Light and Goose Island 312 beers in wake of the ongoing saga.
"Sidetrack continues to be encouraged by the increase in support from brands to the LGBTQ+ community over the last four decades as the country's support for the LGBTQ+ community has increased. However, we must also hold brands accountable if they take active steps against the LGBTQ+ equality, visibility and safety," the bar wrote in a statement posted to Instagram Thursday. "Bud Light's recent decision to drop the Dylan Mulvaney campaign, to put on "leave" those who created it, as well as the statement by its CEO, wrongfully validates the position that it is acceptable to acquiesce to the demands of those who do not support the trans community, and wish to erase LGBTQ+ visibility."
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2Bears Tavern Group, which owns four bars in Chicago - including 2Bears Tavern, Jackhammer, Meeting House Tavern and The Sofo Tap - said all of its bars "are discontinuing Anheuser-Busch InBev products as a result of the brewer’s anti-transgender actions and statements."
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This week, Anheuser-Busch confirmed that Alissa Heinerscheid, its vice president of marketing, and her boss, Daniel Blake, are taking a leave of absence. The company won’t say when they will return or whether they’re being paid.
Heinerscheid was the marketing executive who oversaw a partnership between Bud Light and Mulvaney, which has since snowballed into cries for boycotts from some angry customers.
The partnership between the blue-emblazoned beer brand and Dylan Mulvaney, who has more than 10.8 million followers on social media, hit the internet on April 1. That's when Mulvaney posted a video on Instagram showing herself cracking open a can of Bud Light, one with the hashtag #budlightpartner.
Last month, Bud Light said, “Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics."
But the Bud Light-Mulvaney partnership quickly brought an onslaught of criticism from people who said they're angry about the world going “woke.” Musician Kid Rock posted a video of himself shooting cans of Bud Light with a rifle.
Others showed support for the partnership, with Paris Hilton commenting "Cheers" with a champagne glass emoji on Mulvaney's post.
Mulvaney appeared to take time off social media following the controversy, but eventually returned in an Instagram video posted on April 27 to respond to the outcry.
“A lot has been said about me,” Mulvaney said in the video. “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.”
Mulvaney said the criticism against her is misplaced saying "if they’re going to accuse me of anything it should be that I’m a theater person and that I’m camp."
“I grew up in a conservative family and I’m extremely privileged because they still love me very much. And I grew up in the church and I still have my faith, which I am really trying to hold on to right now,” the actor said. “But I’ve always tried to love everyone, even the people that make it really, really hard.”
For some, the partnership went too far at a time when transgender issues — including gender-affirming health care and participation in sports — are a divisive topic in state legislatures.
But others — including Heinerscheid herself — say reaching out to younger and more diverse consumers is crucial. According to a 2021 Gallup poll, 21% of people in Generation Z identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, compared to 3% of Baby Boomers. Gallup has also found that younger consumers are the most likely to want brands to promote diversity and take a stand on social issues.
“I had a really clear job to do when I took over Bud Light. And it was, this brand is in decline. It’s been in decline for a very long time. And if we do not attract young drinkers to come and drink this brand, there will be no future for Bud Light,” Heinerscheid said last month in an episode of Apple’s “Make Yourself at Home” podcast.
Anheuser-Busch has long supported the LGBTQ+ community, partnering with advocacy groups and donating more than $13 million over 20 years to organizations committed to LGBTQ+ equality. Bud Light has also released rainbow-colored aluminum bottles during June Pride Month and donated $1 for every case sold to the advocacy group GLAAD.
Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth issued a statement on April 14, but it didn’t specifically mention the controversy.
“We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” Whitworth said.
