At least one thing is clear: Dylan Mulvaney loves beer..That comes straight from the mouth of the social influencer whose tangled relationship with Bud Light has seen its parent company, Anheuser-Busch, lose more than US$20 billion in market value since April 1..In a new Instagram video, Mulvaney said there has been “more bullying and transphobia than I could have ever imagined.”.“I’ve been scared to leave my house,” she said, adding she has been ridiculed in public” and has “felt a loneliness that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”.Mulvaney attacked Bud Light for giving “customers permission to be as transphobic and as hateful as they want” by abandoning the trans influencer following backlash over the disastrous tie-up, reports The New York Post..“For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse than not hiring a trans person at all,” said Mulvaney..The video comes on the heels of Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth refusing to say whether the company would ever work with Mulvaney again. .Mulvaney said no one from the company has reached out to her since receiving a Bud Light tallboy with her image on the can..“I was scared of more backlash, and I felt personally guilty for what transpired,” she said. “I patiently waited for things to get better and I was waiting for the brand to reach out to me, but they never did.”.“Supporting trans people shouldn’t be political. There should be nothing divisive or controversial about working with us.”.Mulvaney said there had only been one can with her image on it, adding she hid it and can’t remember where, but if she finds it the plan is to “put it in a museum behind bulletproof glass.”.“Anheuser-Busch has previously tried to distance itself from the Mulvaney posts, which ignited a firestorm that has dragged down its sister brands, including Budweiser and Michelob Ultra,” reports The Post..However, at the outset, the company did not deny its partnership with Mulvaney, calling it just one of many partnerships meant to “authentically connect with audiences across various demographics and passion points,” a spokesperson said in a statement..The people most affected by the controversy have been Anheuser-Busch's 65,000 employees and distributors who have been mocked and threatened with car horns, cursing, and a declining income as sales of the brewery’s brands keep falling, reports The Post.."As we've said, we remain committed to the programs and partnerships we have forged over decades with organizations across a number of communities, including those in the LGBTQ+ community," an Anheuser-Busch spokesperson said.."The privacy and safety of our employees and our partners is always our top priority. As we move forward, we will focus on what we do best — brewing great beer for everyone and earning our place in moments that matter to our consumers.".In an effort to appease employees and move Bud Light out of distributors’ warehouses, the company is offering free beer on the July 4th holiday weekend in the US..The limited-time promotion sees consumers getting a $15 rebate for buying 15-packs of Budweiser, Bud Light, Budweiser Select or Budweiser Select 55. .It’s the same promotion Anheuser-Busch offered over the Memorial Day weekend and is valid until July 8..The company is, in effect, giving away the beer for free in areas where a 15-pack sells for $15 or less, with rebates coming on prepaid digital cards..Sorry Canada, no free beer for you.
