Dylan Mulvaney has spoken out against Bud Light following the six-month boycott campaign against the beer brand.
Conservatives slammed Bud Light for partnering with the transgender influencer during its March Madness campaign and also for sending her bespoke, not-for-sale beer cans with her face on them. The gift was to mark the one-year anniversary since she began her gender-affirming transition.
"If you're going to ask us to capitalize on our vulnerabilities and our traumas, at least have our backs when the going gets tough," Mulvaney said, during the 2023 Forbes CMO Summit in Miami on Tuesday.
"Brands like to label themselves as allies [to the LGBTQ+ community], but we the community should get to give you that title. Allyship has to look different than it did a month ago, a year ago. Allyship expands past marketing and extends into the companies itself – for example, the benefits they offer to their employees."
Mulvaney also said Bud Light had "a big opportunity...back in April to stand up – and we've all moved on in very positive ways – but I am so tired of being scared. I spent so many years of my life feeling little."
Newsweek contacted Anheuser-Busch, the company that owns Bud Light, by email for comment.
The TikTok star also had plenty of words for her haters.
"Supporting and hiring trans people should not be political, and the people making it out to be— they're bigots. And we should not let them win," she said.
Mulvaney was asked what companies can do to be better allies to marginalized communities. She said they should "push for diversity in the boardroom and on their consulting staff."
"If you're not sitting on the table, you're on the menu," she said, and added: "Look internally first and know where your values and morals lie, and then seep that into the brand.
"I want you all to know that trans-ness is 1% of what makes me, me. When it comes to marketing, we often get put into boxes and it's so limited. In order to change this we have to have these difficult conversations."
Mulvaney also shared her dream of the ultimate Bud Light ad where a transgender person is finally accepted.
She envisioned "a trans woman on the opposite side of the saloon as a famous cowboy walks in, and the camera zooms in as their respective high heels and cowboy boots walk toward one another. As the camera pans out, they crack a beer together with the line 'There's room for all of us beer drinkers in this town.'"
Despite constant trolling and even receiving death threats, Mulvaney's star has only risen since the Bud Light fiasco began.
She rose to fame on TikTok, where she documented her gender-affirming transition, culminating in the documentary 365 Days a Girl.
Mulvaney scored partnership deals with major brands such as Nike, Kate Spade and Ulta Beauty.
She has also worked with Lady Gaga's Haus Labs cosmetics company, skincare line CeraVe, MAC, KIND Snacks, KitchenAid, Ole Henriksen, Instacart, K18, Aritzia and Rent the Runway.
Since March, Mulvaney has graced the covers of magazines Them and The Cut. Allure magazine named her on its A-list for 2023, and in August, Mulvaney won her first Streamy Award for best breakout content creator.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more
