An Indiana bar that vowed to kick out patrons who criticized Bud Light’s partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney is now pleading with customers to return.
The Fairfax Bar and Grill in Bloomington sparked swift backlash when it declared that those who were against the controversial partnership weren’t welcome.
Now, the local watering hole has done a 180 — insisting that “different opinions are welcome.”
“What I really want to convey is this: just be respectful. Different opinions are welcome here as long as they are delivered respectfully,” owner McKinley Minniefield said in a Facebook post to “clarify” his stance Friday, following the backlash.
“We’d no more want ugly, aggressive or rude interactions about which sports team someone thinks is better, than about societal issues,” Minniefield added.
“We do not and will not censor opinions, but we do require civility in this establishment.”
In another statement on social media, which has since been deleted, the Fairfax Bar and Grill apparently admitted it was suffering from losing clientele as a result of the fallout.
“With the departure of some of our regulars, we have needed new clientele, and you have answered. I’m not gonna lie, we still need more of you right now,” the establishment wrote, according to Fox News.
The bar’s turnaround comes just weeks after it sparked anger by vowing to toss out revelers that “voice their concerns about the issue.”
“We are tired of all of the hate. We are very open to debate and discussion and it’s truly a shame that we can’t have open conversations about this important political and cultural topic,” it said in a Facebook post which has since been deleted — but not before it was shared widely on social media.
“Unfortunately due to all of the bigotry and hatred that has surfaced around the Bud Light controversy any patron wanting to voice their concerns about the issue will be immediately asked to pay their bill and leave our establishment,” it added.
The Bud Light brouhaha erupted when the company sent Mulvaney, 26, specially made cans featuring her face to help promote its March Madness contest.
The beer maker defended the partnership but later issued a half-hearted apology to its loyal customers after it suffered a massive sales hit.
Minniefield last week told Newsweek that his bar is in a “blue dot inside of a very red state.”
“I won’t tolerate hate speech, and I think that’s where I draw the line as a human, as a business owner,” he told the outlet.
“I’m 100 percent open to debate and to offering a place where people can and exchange ideas. I think it’s really important that we keep these public places — bars, these places where people can come and have a beer and sit next to somebody, share a beer with somebody they maybe don’t agree with or see eye to eye with,” he added.