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Recently, Bud Light received criticism from conservative pundits and social media users for partnering with trans TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney. Critics went on to pile on several other companies that advertised campaigns with the LGBTQ community.
Bud Light faced boycotts, and sales dipped after they sent Mulvaney a customized can with her image on it, which high-profile critics such as Kid Rock, Travis Tritt, and John Rich found controversial. Other critics joined in on the criticisms. Tritt dug up a two-year-old Jack Daniels marketing campaign featuring drag performers from RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Nike, another Mulvaney collaborator, received criticism from Olympic athletes Sharron Davies and Caitlyn Jenner for its marketing campaign in which Mulvaney modeled leggings and sports bras. Joe Rogan and Ben Shapiro resurfaced a months-old Miller Lite commercial for Women’s History Month, slamming it for perpetuating identity politics.
Molson Coors, however, defended the campaign and said there was nothing controversial about it. Critics also laid into Adidas for a trans-inclusive swimwear marketing campaign. Davies tweeted the hashtag #AdidasHatesWomen, despite being a frequent critic of transgender women participating in women’s sports.
Starbucks recently released an ad in India depicting a father reconciling with his trans daughter. Although the ad was favorably received by many, conservative commentator Shapiro, among others, criticized it. Some Twitter users found the criticisms ironic, as India recognizes a third gender, known as ‘hijra,’ and discrimination against them still persists. Ahead of Pride Night, the Los Angeles Dodgers planned to honor The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a charity that raises money for LGBTQ causes and performs in drag dressed as nuns, but faced opposition from conservative groups, including the CatholicVoice, and Senator Marco Rubio. The Dodgers then changed course and uninvited The Sisters to the outrage of its other LGBTQ partner groups.
These controversies follow legislative and protest movements targeting the LGBTQ community. The ACLU has identified 482 bills introduced in state legislatures this year as anti-LGBTQ. Many of these bills seek to limit gender-affirming care for transgender youth and education for gender and sexuality in schools. Drag performers have also faced restrictions, with some states seeking to ban or limit drag performances in public spaces.
Some social media users stood up in support of the controversial campaigns. Some, in fact, mock boycotting efforts. After the Bud Light controversy spread, users posted videos of themselves throwing away cans of unopened beer. However, others pointed out that by purchasing the beer, users have still given their money to Bud Light. Shapiro was among the critics of Starbucks’ ad, accusing the company of ‘exporting the transness to India.’ However, India already had a concept of the third gender called ‘hijra’ for several thousand years, since enshrined in law in 2014, although members of the community still face discrimination in society.
Bud Light partnered with TikTok sensation Dylan Mulvaney, known for documenting her gender transition, sending her a customized can as a part of their brief partnership. Critics, including Kid Rock, Travis Tritt, John Rich, Ben Shapiro, and Candace Owens, expressed frustration and launched a boycott, leading to a dip in the company’s sales. Tritt and other critics dug up an old Jack Daniels campaign featuring RuPaul’s Drag Race performers. Another Mulvaney collaborator, Nike, also received backlash for a recent marketing campaign in which Mulvaney modeled leggings and sportswear.
Miller Lite released an advertisement in honor of Women’s History Month, featuring actress and comedian Ilana Glazer. The ad promoted the company’s commitment to recycling old, sexist advertisements to create fertilizer for brewing more beer. However, critics such as Joe Rogan and Ben Shapiro accused the ad of pushing identity politics. Molson Coors stood by the campaign, denying that they did anything remotely controversial. Conservative critics also went against Adidas for featuring trans-inclusive swimwear in their marketing campaign.
Starbucks, a company known for supporting the LGBTQ community, debuted an ad in India that depicted a father reconciling with his trans daughter. Although some praised it as ‘groundbreaking,’ it attracted criticism from conservative figures such as Ben Shapiro. Members on Twitter pointed out that India has recognized a third gender for thousands of years.
The Los Angeles Dodgers faced criticism from conservative groups and Senator Marco Rubio after they invited The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a charity that raises money for LGBTQ causes, to perform in drag at Pride Night. After opposition from groups like the CatholicVoice, they later chose to uninvite The Sisters. This caused outrage among the Dodgers’ other LGBTQ partner organizations.
Laws targeting LGBTQ individuals have been on the rise, with the ACLU identifying 482 bills introduced within the year as anti-LGBTQ. These bills seek to limit gender-affirming care for transgender youth and education on gender and sexuality in schools. Alongside this, drag performers have faced some of their own restrictions with some states seeking to ban or limit drag performances in public spaces.
Those who voiced criticism faced retaliatory backlash from supporters of the campaigns discussed, with many users taking to social media to mock the boycott attempts. The boycott campaign targeting Bud Light, in particular, faced backlash after videos of consumers pouring out their unopened cans flooded the platform. Similarly, after conservative pundit Ben Shapiro criticized Starbucks’ ad, several users pointed out that India has recognized the concept of a ‘hijra’ for thousands of years.
TikTok sensation Dylan Mulvaney partnered with Bud Light for a brief partnership, but the company faced criticism after sending her a customized can with her face on it. The controversy led to a boycott campaign, seeing a significant dip in the company’s sales. In response, Tritt and other critics brought up an old Jack Daniels campaign that featured drag performers. Nike, another Mulvaney collaborator, was met with critics after Mulvaney modeled their leggings and sportswear
During Women’s History Month, Miller Lite released an advertisement with actress and comedian Ilana Glazer to promote the company’s commitment to recycling old, sexist ads to create fertilizer for brewing more beer. Critics such as Joe Rogan and Ben Shapiro accused the company of perpetuating ‘identity politics.’ However, Molson Coors defended the campaign and argued that nothing was even remotely controversial. Adidas also faced criticism for a trans-inclusive swimwear campaign.
Companies known for supporting the LGBTQ community, like Starbucks, have also come under criticism. Starbucks recently released an ad in India that depicts a father reconciling with his trans daughter, with Ben Shapiro among the critical voices. Some Twitter users took the opportunity to remind others that India has recognized a ‘third gender’ for several thousand years. The Los Angeles Dodgers faced criticism for choosing to invite The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a charity that raises money for LGBTQ causes, to perform in drag at Pride Night. After opposition from conservative groups, the Dodgers uninvited The Sisters.
Targeted legislation against the LGBTQ community has surged, with 482 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced this year alone, according to the ACLU. Many of these bills seek to restrict transgender youth’s access to gender-affirming care and education on gender and sexuality in schools. Restrictions have also been placed on drag performers, with bans or limits on public drag performances.
Not all members of the public were in support of the boycott campaigns that followed the controversies. In fact, some took to social media to mock the boycotters actively. After the Bud Light campaign picked up steam, users posted videos of themselves pouring out their unopened cans. However, some users also pointed out that these users had already given Bud Light their money. Starbucks, a company known for supporting the LGBTQ community, released an ad in India depicting a father reconciling with his trans daughter. Although some lauded it, it received criticism from conservative figures like Ben Shapiro, despite the long-standing recognition of hijras in Indian history.
Bud Light faced backlash from conservative voices due to their partnership with TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney. After sending her a customized can with her face on it, critics including Kid Rock, Travis Tritt, John Rich, Ben Shapiro, and Candace Owens boycotted and saw a significant dip in sales. Several other companies received criticism for their advertising campaigns featuring LGBTQ individuals. Jack Daniels faced criticism for a two-year-old marketing campaign that featured drag performers, while Nike received backlash for marketing leggings and sports bras
Miller Lite released an advertisement in honor of Women’s History Month, where actress and comedian Ilana Glazer talked about recycling old, sexist advertisements to make fertilizer for brewing more beer. This campaign faced criticism by Joe Rogan and Ben Shapiro, and yet Molson Coors defended it. Adidas also attracted criticism for their trans-inclusive swimwear campaign. Additionally, conservative voices criticized Starbucks for an ad it released in India depicting a father reconciling with his trans daughter. The Los Angeles Dodgers received some pushback for planning to support The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at Pride Night before uninviting them to appease conservative groups.
