Bud Light faces backlash over transgender partnership

Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, with 10.8 million TikTok followers, has been silent for 16 days due to backlash over her partnership with Bud Light. Bud Light's social media channels have also been quiet since April 2, with a recent post on Twitter and Instagram on April 14 and news of a staff change.

Bud Light faced backlash after sending a personalized beer can to Mulvaney to celebrate her one-year anniversary of identifying as a girl. This caused a boycott of the brand and supporters of GOP candidate Kari Lake refusing to drink Bud Light at a rally. A Kentucky bar owner also reported conflicts among patrons. The incident has sparked a wider discussion on transgender acceptance, with Donald Trump Jr., Marjorie Taylor Greene, Joe Rogan, and Caitlyn Jenner among those sharing their views.

Mulvaney has made few public comments since the controversy began. She alluded to it in a video early in April, and in a recent podcast, she said she was an "easy target" because she was new to the transgender debate. In her last post on April 7, Mulvaney appeared at a gala event and spoke about the importance of having people in our lives to support us and celebrate our uniqueness.

Bud Light's parent company, Anheuser-Busch, has made several attempts at damage control over the social media furor. CEO Brendan Whitworth issued a statement on April 14 in which he said, "We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people."

However, Budweiser, another Anheuser-Busch brand, released an advert that was perceived as an attempt to appeal to the company's traditional consumers and move on from the debacle. The ad attracted criticism from animal rights group PETA, which said it featured a horse with a "cruelly amputated" tail. On Saturday, reports emerged that the vice president in charge of the partnership with Mulvaney had taken a leave of absence and would be replaced in their role by the Budweiser marketing chief.

Transgender rights and inclusion are deeply polarizing issues in the US. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center last year, 38 percent of Americans believed that society had gone too far in accepting transgender people, while 36 percent said it had not gone far enough.