Anheuser-Busch ( (BUDFF) ) has been at the center of outrage from conservatives over the last two months over issues about Bud Light’s support of the LGBTQ+ community.
Many conservatives have pushed for a Bud Light boycott, resulting in a stock dip of nearly 20% in the last two months. And the “anti-woke” boycott has spilled over to several other major brands both within the beer industry and outside of it.
It’s clear that a culture war is brewing -- no pun intended -- and it’s come right as Pride Month is set to begin on June 1.
What Is The Bud Light Controversy?
The Bud Light controversy started on April 1 when trans social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who has nearly 13 million followers across TikTok and Instagram, posted a video in partnership with Bud Light surrounding the then-ongoing NCAA March Madness tournament.
Conservatives were immediately outraged at the trans influencer promoting the country’s number one selling beer brand, with celebrities like Kid Rock firing a gun at Bud Light beers and musicians like Travis Tritt banning the beer brand from his tour shows.
Anheuser-Busch’s Brendan Whitworth responded to the backlash on April 14, two weeks after Mulvaney's post, with a press release saying the company “never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people.”
“We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer,” Whitworth’s statement read.
But Bud Light’s sales have continued to drop over the last several months despite its efforts to win back customers, putting the company now at risk of losing its status as the country’s top-selling beer.
Recently it's seemed as if the outrage against the company has started to wane -- that is, until it announced on May 30 that it would be renewing its partnership with the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
READ MORE: Kevin O'Leary Calls Out Bud Light for Its Recent LGBTQ Controversy
Other Affected Companies
Miller Lite
Molson Coors’ ((TAP.A)) Miller Lite is one of Bud Light’s main competitors, but the beer brand was put under the same microscope as Bud Light in mid-May.
Conservatives found a Miller Lite ad released in March, or before Bud Light’s controversy, and brought it back to life. The ad was about “cleaning up” the beer industry as the ad claims the beer industry has been objectifying women through sexual ads over the past few decades.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers were put under the Bud Light-esque microscope for inviting The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an LGBTQ+ human rights group that parodies Catholic nuns, to its Pride Night on June 16.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio penned a letter to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred claiming that the group is “anti-Catholic” which prompted the Dodgers to rescind the invite to the Sisters.
However, days later, the Dodgers re-invited the Sisters and star pitcher Clayton Kershaw announced that the team would be bringing back its ‘Christian Faith and Family” on July 30.
While many have supported the Dodgers’ decision, some, including Rubio and MLB pitcher Trevor Williams have denounced the Dodgers’ move.
EIGHT
EIGHT beer, owned by NFL Hall-of-Famer and Fox broadcaster Troy Aikman, took advantage of the buzz surrounding the beer industry.
Aikman took to social media and took subtle jabs at Bud Light and Miller Lite by saying that EIGHT is a beer that has “no agenda, no distractions.”
EIGHT, which was founded in 2022, is still only distributed in Texas, but it still got some national buzz for its shots against the giants of the industry.
Kohl's
Kohl’s ((KSS)) had a rude Memorial Day Weekend after #BoycottKohls trended on Twitter. This was because the anti-LGBTQ+ mob found Pride merchandise on Kohl’s shelves.
Conservatives were particularly offended by a onesie for babies that showed several people of color holding up a pride flag.
Kohl’s has been supporting initiatives like The Trevor Project since 2019, but has not faced public backlash as rampant as this. Its stock is down 10% since the beginning of the long weekend.
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A did not sell a product or release an ad to get attacked by the anti-woke mob -- it simply
made a hire that many major companies have already implemented.
Joey Mannarino, a right-wing Twitter personality, asked whether a boycott for Chick-fil-A should happen because the company hired a Vice President for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
However, many giant companies have the same or similar positions already filled, such as Apple and Google. There’s still no boycott for those companies, at least not yet.
Target
Target ((TGT)) has been supporting the LGBTQ+ community for many years, and was criticized by the right in 2016 for its rules regarding bathroom usage in stores.
In May, conservatives again targeted the company for selling Pride gear in its stores, with some getting violent. This has led to Target making the decision to remove some Pride gear from its stores which it says is for the “safety” of its employees and customers, but alienated the LGBTQ+ community that designed the products for Target in the first place.
