Referencing the boycott campaign, Mulvaney added: "I was waiting for the brand to reach out to me, but they never did and, for months now, I've been scared to leave my house... 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." They added that the commemorative can it had given to Mulvaney "was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public." The partnership with Mulvaney is not the first time Bud Light has waded into social issues in its marketing campaigns. It previously partnered with LGBTQ+ organizations such as GLAAD in 2019 to celebrate Pride Month in the U.S. and the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce in 2022 to support LGBTQ+-owned businesses amid post-pandemic reopenings. Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics,” a spokesperson said in a statement shared with BuzzFeed News. “From time to time we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Dylan Mulvaney. This commemorative can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public.”

Mulvaney isn’t the only person who’s expressed disappointment in how Anheuser-Busch handled this whole mess. In interviews with the Guardian published September 19, several former employees described executives as incompetent and accused them of making decisions based on fear and “panic” rather than integrity or data. Some even accused leadership of having lied to them outright about the support they were — or weren’t — offering Mulvaney.

What has Bud Light said?

In the video, originally posted on TikTok by a biker, a crowd can be seen watching as the steamroller ploughs across pallets of beer, some of which can be seen exploding as they're crushed. The video's caption reads: "Doing what needs to be done." The beer company last week faced calls for a boycott on social media after Mulvaney posted a video explaining that Bud Light had sent her a personalized can with her face on it to commemorate 365 days of being a girl. In an interview last month, Heinerscheid, the first woman to lead Bud Light in the brand's 40-year history, said the beer brand was "in decline." That meant the brand, which had a reputation for being “fratty,” needed to become “truly inclusive” and appeal to both men and women, she said.

The spokesperson said Bud Light had also made “some adjustments to streamline the structure of our marketing function to reduce layers so that our most senior marketers are more closely connected to every aspect of our brands activities.”

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But while the video purports to show an act of defiance in the wake of the partnership, some have questioned whether it relates to the recent row. While many social media users have reacted angrily to the partnership, others noted that many major beer brands have given their support to the LGBTQ+ community in advertising campaigns, suggesting those calling for a boycott may be hard-pushed to switch to an alternative they find inoffensive. Heinerscheid described Bud Light as a brand in need of a revival in a March interview on the “ Make Yourself at Home” podcast. After the video was used to show an apparent protest against Bud Light over its partnership with Mulvaney, Nieblas said on Monday that the video had been used "as part of a disinformation campaign," adding the hashtag "#FakeNews." While some commenters noted that those who had destroyed the beer would have had to have paid for it first, boosting Bud Light's revenue, others said it was about "sending a message" to the company that their partnership will have lost them future business.

Queer activists and groups suggest looking closely into how a company treats queer employees and handles partnerships with the LGBTQ+ community that can help consumers distinguish pinkwashing from true allyship. On April 1, Mulvaney shared a video of herself drinking from a Bud Light can. She showed the one with her face on it that she had been sent to celebrate her 'Day 365 of Girlhood', as part of a promotion with the company. Mulvaney has been tapped to sell a host of women's products, including Kate Spade's women's spring line of dresses, handbags, and shoes, along with Tampax for some reaon, despite Mulvaney not being capable of menstruation.Mulvaney has also pranced about like a little girl for promotions as well. If we do not attract young drinkers to come and drink this brand, there will be no future for Bud Light," Heinerscheid said on the business podcast Make Yourself at Home. We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” the statement continued. “We are in the business of bringing people together over beer.”

Mulvaney used the project to become a social media influencer, and the efforts, including facial feminization surgery and publicly taking estrogen, were successful. Mulvaney met with President Biden at the White House and received a letter of congratulations from Vice President Kamala Harris on having spent a full year documenting the gender change on social media. In a statement to TIME, Anheuser-Busch said: “From time to time we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Dylan Mulvaney. This commemorative can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public. Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics.” Mulvaney's "365 Days of Girlhood" project, during which Mulvaney released TikTok videos documenting the "journey" from presenting as a gay male to presenting as a gay male in women's clothing, was documented fully by Mulvaney on social media.

Television Drew Barrymore sat on the floor with trans TikToker Dylan Mulvaney. Online turmoil ensued Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile. Yet with two marketing executives on leave, Anheuser-Busch leadership appears to fear that the boycott's effects could be longer-lived. "It's not what we would have wanted to see from a boycott management perspective," Shanahan said. (The company has not responded to a request for comment.) The boycotts did not impact sales or account signups in the long run, the researchers found. And in the case of Goya, the brand actually experienced a short-term sales boost from first-time buyers in predominantly Republican counties, Liaukonyte said. The boycott of Goya was most effective when its products were easily substituted, like beans, Liaukonyte said. Sales of other Goya products with fewer comparable substitutes, like adobo seasoning, were less affected.Drew Barrymore and trans TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney sat on the floor on her show Monday, discussing online hate. That act sparked more online hate. Bud Light bottles stand in a cooler at the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 18, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. Sales of the beer have yet to recover since a conservative boycott began in April. G Fiume/GETTY In the four weeks to September 9, Bud Light sales declined by around 30 percent in both volume and dollar value, compared to the same period a year ago. The statistics were compiled by Bump Williams Consulting.