Anheuser-Busch InBev Reaffirms Commitment to Supporting LGBTQ+ Community Despite Right-Wing Backlash

Anheuser-Busch InBev, the parent company of Bud Light, has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the LGBTQ+ community in spite of right-wing backlash over an advertising campaign featuring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

In an interview on “CBS Mornings,” CEO Brendan Whitworth said Bud Light has supported the LGBTQ+ community since 1998 and will continue to do so. He emphasized that the company’s core values revolve around inclusivity and “bringing people together.”

The controversy began after Mulvaney posted a video about Bud Light on her Instagram page on April 1 as part of their promotional March Madness campaign. Conservatives, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Mulvaney, criticized the campaign and called for a boycott of Bud Light.

In response, Mulvaney posted a TikTok video on Thursday, saying “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.”

Whitworth said Bud Light will continue to support the communities and organizations it has for decades, regardless of the backlash. “And Bud Light really doesn’t belong there,” he said.

Mulvaney has more than 10.6 million followers on TikTok, where she rose to fame after chronicling her first year of gender transition in a viral video series called “Days of Girlhood.” Despite the criticism, Bud Light has stood by Mulvaney and remains committed to supporting the LGBTQ+ community.