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Dylan Mulvaney Calls Out Bud Light For Not Backing Her During Backlash
After months of weathering a vicious transphobic attack, the influencer shares her side of the story — and it’s not a good look for Bud Light.
When Dylan Mulvaney posted a video of her a can that Bud Light sent her with her face on it, in a cute harmless video on Instagram, she could never have guessed the vicious wave of transphobic backlash that was heading her way.
Now she is finally speaking out about her side of the story in a powerful TikTok video, and she is calling Bud Light out for essentially leaving her to face that backlash alone.
“One thing I will not tolerate people saying about me is that I don't like beer, because I love beer and I always have,” Mulvaney says at the start of the video, but quickly her tone turned more serious.” I built my platform on being honest with you. And what I'm about to tell you might sound like old news. But you know that feeling when you have something uncomfy sitting on your chest? Well, that's how I feel right now. So, this feels like the right thing to do”
“What I'm about to tell you might sound like old news,” she continued. “I took a brand deal with a company that I loved. And I posted a sponsored video to my page. And it must have been a slow news week, because of the way that this ad got blown up, you would have thought I was like, on a billboard, or on a TV commercial or something major, but no, it was just an Instagram video.”
.
“You might be thinking Dylan, why bring it up now. I'm bringing it up, because what transpired from that video was more bullying and transphobia than I could have ever imagined,” she shared. “I should have made this video months ago, but I didn't. And I was scared. And I was scared of more backlash. And I felt personally guilty for what transpired. So I patiently waited for things to get better. But surprise, they haven't really.”
She was also waiting for a call she assumed would come from Bud Light, a call that she says never came. “For months now, I've been scared to leave my house, I have been ridiculed in public. I've been following. And I have felt a loneliness that I wouldn't wish on anyone.”
@dylanmulvaney Trans people like beer too. 🏳️⚧️🍻
Mulvaney then called the company to task. “I'm not telling you this because I want your pity. I am telling you this because if this is my experience, from a very privileged perspective, I know that it is much much worse for other trans people. For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse in my opinion than not hiring a trans person at all. Because it gives customers permission to be as transphobic and hateful as they want. And the hate doesn't end with me, it has serious and grave consequences for the rest of our community.”
For those who might respond that Bud Light standing up for her would be “getting political” Mulvaney was quick to shut that down. “ Babe, supporting trans people shouldn't be political. There should be nothing controversial or divisive about working with us. And I know it's possible because I've worked with some fantastic companies who care but caring about the LGBTQ+ community requires a lot more than just a donation somewhere during pride month.”
“Bottom line,” concluded Mulvaney, “ is that if you follow me, if I've made you smile, if you care about me, I need you to care about every trans person. And I need you to support us and I need you to stand by us.”
She closed out the video saying that she hoped that something positive could still come from all of this and requested that her fans and supporters donate to the Transgender Law Center.
Rachel Shatto, Editor in Chief of PRIDE.com, is an SF Bay Area-based writer, podcaster, and former editor of Curve magazine, where she honed her passion for writing about social justice and sex (and their frequent intersection). Her work has appeared on Dread Central, Elite Daily, Tecca, and Joystiq. She's a GALECA member and she podcasts regularly about horror on the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network. She can’t live without cats, vintage style, video games, drag queens, or the Oxford comma.
Rachel Shatto, Editor in Chief of PRIDE.com, is an SF Bay Area-based writer, podcaster, and former editor of Curve magazine, where she honed her passion for writing about social justice and sex (and their frequent intersection). Her work has appeared on Dread Central, Elite Daily, Tecca, and Joystiq. She's a GALECA member and she podcasts regularly about horror on the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network. She can’t live without cats, vintage style, video games, drag queens, or the Oxford comma.
