Last month, the owner of a Florida seafood restaurant chain announced that he would remove Bud Light products from his establishments over Anheuser-Busch’s actions, despite having an opposing viewpoint.
“I am disgusted by what you have done and what you are doing,” Grills Seafood Deck and Tiki Bar owner Joe Penovich noted in an open letter to the beverage giant posted to Facebook, Fox Business first reported. “You are the one causing this division and anger in our society. You are responsible for making some of the gay community think Grills does not welcome them.
“And you knew EXACTLY what you were doing when you launched this campaign. How could you not? ‘Good ole boy beer … meets Dylan Mulvaney? Hmm. Let’s see what that does to the country.’ NOBODY is that stupid. This goes way beyond transgenderism,” the letter continued.
Anheuser-Busch’s collaboration with Mulvaney has sparked outrage among conservative critics who accuse the corporation of participating in the erasure and mockery of women. Mulvaney, a male, has claimed to be a “girl” and documented his “journey” online over the past year.
Company CEO Brendan Whitworth issued a statement last month in an attempt at damage control, saying that the company “never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” and adding, “We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”
But the statement did not contain any apology or mention of Mulvaney or transgender ideology, which further upset conservative critics. At the same time, LGBT activists felt that the corporation was “caving” to conservative pressure.