Anheuser-Busch, the owner of the Bud Light brand, is facing demands from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) to publicly reaffirm its support for the transgender community.
This comes in the wake of a backlash from conservatives following the company’s partnership with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney.
The HRC, an LGBTQ advocacy group, expressed its concerns in a letter addressed to Anheuser-Busch, urging the company to stand in solidarity with Dylan and the transgender community, according to The Hill
“In this moment, it is absolutely critical for Anheuser-Busch to stand in solidarity with Dylan and the trans community,” the HRC letter stated.
“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 continued.
The letter also stated that Anheuser-Busch would face “long-term business impacts with employees and customers increasingly looking for steadfast commitment to LGBTQ+ corporate citizenships.”
Anheuser-Busch’s partnership with Mulvaney involved featuring the transgender activist’s face on Bud Light cans as part of an ad campaign for the beer company’s March Madness contest. The campaign celebrated Mulvaney’s full year of “girlhood.”
Another video showed Mulvaney, clad in a bikini, enjoying a Bud Light in a bathtub.
The collaboration led to significant backlash and a national boycott.
Conservative country music singer John Rich pulled cases of Bud Light from his Nashville bar, while rock musician Kid Rock used Bud Light cases for target practice in a viral video and distributors in rural areas expressed grave concerns.
Anheuser-Busch responded to the public outcry and boycott over its partnership with Mulvaney with a letter from CEO Brendan Whitworth.
“We have thousands of partners, millions of fans and a proud history of supporting our communities, military, first responders, sports fans and hard-working Americans everywhere,” Whitworth said.
“We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” Whitworth said. “We are in the business of bringing people together over beer.”
The letter did not stop the boycott which has significantly hurt Anheuser-Busch’s sales and market share.
Related: Bud Light Sales Plummet After Controversial Marketing Campaign
Reacting to the fallout, Mulvaney acknowledged that winning everyone over is impossible. The activist remarked on the inaccuracies about them circulating online and described the experience as “very dissociative.”
“I think it’s OK to be frustrated with someone or confused,” Mulvaney said. “But what I’m struggling to understand is the need to dehumanize and to be cruel.”
Related: Dylan Mulvaney Speaks Out on Bud Light, Nike Controversies, Instantly Makes Things Worse
The HRC warned that Anheuser-Busch’s reluctance to firmly stand with the LGBTQ+ community not only lends credibility to hate-filled rhetoric but also exposes the company to long-term business impacts.
Anheuser-Busch is taking a lot of heat from the HRC. The letter indicates they are planning to lower Anheuser-Busch’s 100 percent Corporate Equality Index score. the Index is a benchmarking tool on corporate practices, policies, and benefits relevant to LGBTQ employees and used nationwide.
The letter suggests that Anheuser-Busch meet with its LGBTQ employees to better “understand their concerns” and have their executives participate in workplace transgender inclusion training.
In addition, the HRC wants to Anheuser-Busch to release a public statement “reaffirming its full support for its transgender customers, shareholders, and employees.”