A pro-LGBTQ human rights organization is reportedly pressuring Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light’s parent company, to publicly announce its support for “transgender” people.
Anheuser-Busch has received criticism since it partnered with “transgender” celebrity Dylan Mulvaney to advertise Bud Light beer.
According to a letter obtained by The Hill, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is demanding the company declare its support for “transgender” identifying people.
“In this moment, it is absolutely critical for Anheuser-Busch to stand in solidarity with Dylan and the trans community,” the April 26 letter from HRC’s Jay Brown to Anheuser-Busch’s head of human resources states.
“However, when faced with anti-LGBTQ+ and transphobic criticism, Anheuser-Busch’s actions demonstrate a profound lack of fortitude in upholding its values of diversity, equity, and inclusion to employees, customers, shareholders and the LGBTQ+ community,” the letter reads.
“This not only lends credence to hate-filled rhetoric, it exposes Anheuser-Busch to long-term business impacts with employees and customers increasingly looking for steadfast commitment to LGBTQ+ corporate citizenships,” it adds.
HRC is getting ready to decrease Anheuser-Busch’s 100% Corporate Equality Index score, a report published by the organization to rate American businesses on their treatment of LGBTQ employees.
The Hill reported that the letter asked for Anheuser-Busch executives to meet with prominent HRC leaders to discuss recommendations, including that the company release a statement “reaffirming its full support for its transgender customers, shareholders, and employees.”
Pressure for Anheuser-Busch to double down on “transgenderism” comes while some have advocated for a boycott of the company as retaliation against the Mulvaney partnership.
An April 14, 2023, tweet from Bud Light, the brand’s only tweet since announcing the partnership with Mulvaney, has more replies than likes or retweets.
TGIF? pic.twitter.com/d3W4oWJSXr
— Bud Light (@budlight) April 14, 2023
“We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer,” Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said in an April 14, 2023, statement.
Anheuser-Busch lost over $6 billion in market value since partnering with Mulvaney, and Bud Light’s shares reportedly decreased 17% since the deal. The losses come as other beer companies, such as Coors Light and Miller Light, see their shares increase by nearly 18%.
