Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney has been spotted for the first time since Bud Light refused to gift her a special can, with an LGBT activist saying the brand’s latest decision has angered gays and conservatives alike.
Mulvaney, 26, was spotted wearing a Burberry plaid outfit she’s already worn several times when she arrived at a hotel in West Hollywood, California.
She declined to comment, as LGBTQ activists now join right-wing parties in boycotting the brand after it rejected the Mulvaney stunt.
Stacey Lentz, who co-owns famed gay bar Stonewall Inn in NYC, said parent company Anheuser-Busch had “missed an opportunity to honor their commitment to the trans community by giving in and giving in to transphobic outrage.” .
Lentz spoke to the New York Post hours after Anheuser-Busch CEO Michael Doukaris tried to play down the campaign with Mulvaney.
He told an earnings call, “We need to clarify the facts that this was one can, one influencer, one post and not a campaign.”
The drama began on April 1 when Bud Light presented Mulvaney with a commemorative tin showing her face to mark her “365 Days of Being a Girl.”
Dylan Mulvaney is seen entering a West Hollywood hotel on Thursday – the first time she’s been seen since Bud Light disowned their partnership
Pictured: Mulvaney was pictured entering a West Hollywood hotel on Thursday
The hotel staff greeted her when she arrived on the property
Mulvaney announced her plans to transition last year and underwent grueling facial feminization surgery in December 2022. The gruesome operation involves cutting and abrading bones from a patient’s face in an attempt to soften masculine features.
But the Bud Light stunt sparked a furious backlash from conservatives, who accused the brand of meddling in one of the most hot-button culture war issues out there.
Stacy Lentz, co-owner of the Stonewall Inn, an LGBT bar in New York City, shared News week that the brewery had “missed an opportunity to fulfill its commitment to the trans community”
She said: ‘ In terms of marketing, I hope and think they realized that they will be extinct as a brand in a few years if they are not fully on the side of equality, because that is what the Gen Z consumer expects and demands.
Lentz expressed his condolences to Mulvaney “as this whole thing was not handled properly and she was caught in the middle of a terrible firestorm.”
In-store sales of Bud Light fell 26 percent as a result, according to the latest figures, fueling fears that the ongoing boycott could cause lasting damage.
Investors were also told by Doukeris that Bud Light will triple its marketing spend this summer in an effort to lure customers back to the compromised brand.
Doukeris’ comments came as a letter was sent to retailers, bars and restaurants by Gray Eagle, which distributes Anheuser-Busch products in St. Louis, Missouri.
It read: “Anheuser-Busch did not intend to create controversy or make a political statement.
“In reality, the Bud Light post was made by a social media influencer who sparked all the conversation, provided by an outside agency without Anheuser-Busch management’s knowledge or approval.
“Since then, the lack of oversight and control over marketing decisions has been addressed and a new VP of Bud Light marketing has been announced.”
Mulvany posted the content on the occasion of the NCAA March Madness tournament, before joking that she didn’t know what sport she was promoting
It comes after Coors Light and Miller Lite both saw sales increases, while the Anheuser-Busch-owned brewer saw them decline.
In the week following the campaign’s launch, on April 1, Bud Light sales were down 6 percent, while Coors Light was up 3.5 percent and Miller Lite was up 3.1 percent.
As backlash against Anheuser-Busch mounted and Kid Rock opened fire on several cases of the beer, their sales fell 17 percent the week of April 18.
In comparison, Coors Light saw sales increase by 10.6 percent, while Miller Lite made even more profit with a sales increase of 11.5 percent.
Last week, Bud Light sales were slightly up, with the company only seeing a 6.7 percent drop in sales, while both of their rivals saw a massive 18 percent increase.
Several famous faces criticized the brand for their decision after pro-Trump Kid Rock shot the cans, saying, “F*** Bud Light, and f*** Anheuser-Busch.” Have a great day.’
Despite their attempts to deny the connection, the video Mulvaney posted in early April 2023 of her drinking Bud Light used the hashtag #budlightpartner
John Rich also publicly denounced the brand, saying he would remove it from his Nashville bar.
Mulvaney has hit back at her critics about the Bud Light deal, telling Rosie O’Donnell on her podcast, “The reason I think I’m so… I’m an easy target is because I’m so new to this.
“I think it’s much harder to go after a trans woman who’s been doing this for like 20 years. I think maybe they think there’s a chance with me… But what’s their goal?
“These people don’t understand me, and everything I do or say is somehow taken out of context and used against me, and it’s so sad because everything I’m trying to get out is positive.
“It tries to connect with others who may not understand me. It’s to make people laugh or to make a child feel seen.”
In the turmoil that followed the announcement of the partnership, Anheuser-Busch issued a statement saying it supported the brand’s decision to partner with Mulvaney.
Bud Light has long supported pride events and even launched LGBT rainbow-themed cans and bottles last year in partnership with the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
Countryman John Rich became the latest celebrity to take out the brand, asking what beer he should use to replace Bud Light at his Nashville bar, Redneck Riviera
Following the outcry, Anheuser-Busch released a patriotic ad for Budweiser featuring its iconic Clydesdale horses, in an apparent attempt to reset the controversy.
The one-minute spot features photos of the iconic Clydesdales galloping across the country, in open fields, and past landmarks like the Lincoln Memorial and the New York City skyline.
However, online users called the ad a pathetic attempt to right the ship that had been permanently steered in the wrong direction with the Mulvaney partnership.