‘Haters really ruined me for a second’: Trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney denounces being mis-gendered

Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney admitted that “haters really got me down for a second” after the backlash over her controversial collaboration with Bud Light.

There were global calls for a boycott of America’s best-selling beer after she shared a series of posts with her 11 million social media followers on April 1.

Mulvaney sparked widespread anger with the contents of the partnership, in which she could be seen sitting in a bathtub and sniffing from custom Bud Light cans that adorned her face.

She appeared on comedian Chelsea Handler’s podcast, Dear Chelsea podcast, and said she’s “not processing” the surrounding fallout.

But she revealed that she has been left heartbroken by those who misinterpret her as a man.

Mulvaney admitted to being exhausted by the pile of hate following her Bud Light posts and believes the “haters” don’t realize the impact it’s having on her mental health.

“That’s what I think a lot of these haters don’t realize is that the mental effects of misgendering in the media breaks my heart because you know there are people out there who call me a man and I’m not doing that right now. I feel like “I’m not even processing any of it,” she told Handler in a podcast episode released Thursday.

“I’m so scared to take that deep dive and know the effects and I will say these haters have really worn me out for a second.

“Dysphoria, it really feels like a darkness that washes over you and it’s those moments of being misrepresented… that made me so sad.”

But she revealed that the fact that Handler had also received hate gave her some comfort.

Mulvaney said, “But then they came for you Chels and I thought oh my god this is my favorite woman in the whole world and the same people who come for me are coming for her.”

“Something clicked and I said oh my god maybe what they say isn’t true because now I see them take out someone I love and I know her truth and I stand with her and I love her so maybe the same is true for me.

“It’s almost easier when it’s not about you and someone you love or like and I know we hadn’t met yet, but I could really see through your experience with them.”

And Handler replied, “Oh wow, I love that.” Yeah I mean I said this to you a little bit before we started but you know the haters it’s like having a big pile of stuff there’s always going to be some negative stuff you know you gotta learn how to you have to focus on the positive and all the people you influence and eventually it just rolls off you.”

“And we both know just how to have a good time and that’s what you know, I don’t think they want to see that,” Mulvaney added.

She spoke out against the criticism she’s received since coming out as a transgender woman, insisting she’s not a “monster.”

Mulvaney rose to fame with her Girlhood video series documenting her first year as a woman.

Bud Light sent her a can with her face on it to commemorate the 365 days of her life as a woman, which started the controversy.

She said, “It’s sad that there are still so many people trying to use this wonderful journey against me and twisting my words and taking things out of context.

“But at the end of the day, I’m happier than ever because I can’t imagine going back to that other person. It breaks my heart to think about it.

“A lot of people don’t have Dylan in their lives to ask questions and I think that’s why I came online… I wanted to be that friend to people. I wanted to show I’m not a monster.’

Mulvaney posted in early April 2023 that she was drinking Bud Light with the hashtag #budlightpartner. She posted the content on the occasion of the NCAA March Madness tournament, before joking that she didn’t know what sport she was promoting.

The disastrous marketing bid caused sales of the U.S. flagship beer to drop 26 percent, despite Anheuser-Busch reporting first-quarter earnings of $1.65 billion and conservatives everywhere claiming to boycott the company.

The company is seemingly facing outrage and potential boycott from all sides of the political spectrum, though largely centered around conservatives.

The partnership with Mulvaney drew strong backlash from some quarters, with musician Kid Rock posting a video of him shooting on Bud Light cases, and country singers John Rich and Travis Tritt cutting ties with the brand.

But media personalities like Joe Rogan and Howard Stern defended Bud Light’s decision.

Anheuser-Busch reported first-quarter earnings of $1.65 billion, which exceeded Wall Street expectations.

The brewer posted sales of $14.21 billion in that period, which also beat forecasts, with shares up 6 percent year-to-date and 12 percent in 12 months.

It’s unclear whether the boycott has had any impact on these numbers, and whether a greater impact on the company’s finances will be visible for the second quarter of the fiscal year if the controversy and boycotts continue.

The brewing giants now claim that the beer can and social media posts were not intended “for production or sale to the general public.”

CEO Michel Doukeris rejected the ad in an earnings call Thursday, insisting the ad was “not a campaign” and that an outside agency had approved it without Bud Light’s approval.

Todd Allen, most recently Budweiser’s global vice president, has been announced as the new vice president of marketing for Bud Light – after marketing vice president Alissa Heinerscheid and Blake took a leave of absence.

Following the April 1 post, Anheuser-Busch lost more than $6 billion in market cap in just six days.

Shares of the beer giant traded roughly at just over a five percent drop in total share value and the company’s market capitalization was $113.33 billion.

Mulvaney posted several videos and images to Instagram for the paid partnership, but it’s unclear exactly how much she paid.

Her paid partnership with Nike promoting the brand’s sports bra and leggings also generated a lot of controversy.

She posed in a series of photos and videos in the workout gear, and furious feminists slammed Nike’s decision to give coveted sponsorship for a prominent women’s line to a transgender woman.