Minneapolis gay bar The Saloon announced Monday that it will be cutting ties with Anheuser-Busch because of the company’s attempt to distance itself from transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney.
The Saloon said in a press release that it will no longer offer Anheuser-Busch products, including Bud Light, Michelob Golden Light, and Michelob Ultra. These beers have been replaced with offerings from local breweries.
The bar cited Anheuser-Busch’s “move to stop its marketing campaign celebrating actress, comedian, and content creator Dylan Mulvaney’s first year as a woman.”
Anheuser-Busch has faced a sustained boycott since early April when the company sent Mulvaney custom Bud Light cans with his face on them to commemorate “Day 365 of womanhood.”
As its share prices plummeted, Bud Light was replaced by Modelo Especial as America’s top-selling beer.
Anheuser-Busch U.S. CEO Brendan Whitworth released a statement last week addressing the controversy, which was criticized for its lack of an apology.
“Third, to all our valued consumers, we hear you. Our summer advertising launches next week, and you can look forward to Bud Light reinforcing what you’ve always loved about our brand — that it’s easy to drink and easy to enjoy,” Whitworth said in his statement.
The Saloon said it plans to partner with companies “that actively support and grow the LGBTQIA+ community.”
“Anheuser-Busch had an opportunity to support a marginalized community in a way that few other corporations have attempted, but they abandoned that direction,” said The Saloon owner John Moore. “We view that as unacceptable.”
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
