ST. LOUIS — The chief executive of Anheuser-Busch has responded to a controversy the company waded into two weeks ago when it teamed with a transgender influencer to post on social media about its most popular beer, Bud Light.
But CEO Brendan Whitworth’s statement — which did not mention the ad campaign or the transgender community — tap-danced around the issue.
“I am responsible for ensuring that every consumer feels proud of the beer we brew,” he said in the statement released on Friday, citing the military, first responders and sports fans among the groups the company supports.
Content creator Dylan Mulvaney was featured this month in Instagram advertisements and on cans of Bud Light as part of a partnership with the brewer, which has its headquarters in St. Louis. The 26-year-old has amassed almost 11 million followers on TikTok while documenting the gender transition she began a year ago.
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The backlash was quick.
Country singer Travis Tritt called for a ban on Anheuser-Busch products at his shows, while musician Kid Rock made an expletive-laced video in which he shoots cases of the lager with a rifle. Conservative commentators demanded a boycott.
It’s not the first time the beermaker has marketed to the LGBTQ customer: A rainbow bottle was rolled out in 2019 to celebrate World Pride with the advocacy organization GLAAD.
But the social climate has grown more combustible since then. A flurry of legislation in red states, including Missouri, aims to limit health care for transgender adolescents and impose restrictions on drag shows.
The beer giant’s stock has fallen almost 4% since Mulvaney’s April 1 post, but experts say politically motivated boycotts are typically short-lived.
Whitworth, in his statement, said that he has spent a lot of time traveling across the United States, listening to consumers.
“We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” he said. “We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”
