Controversial transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney called out the “extreme amount of transphobia and hate” after winning Breakout Creator at the 2023 Streamy Awards — declaring she would celebrate the win by cracking open a beer.
Mulvaney, 26, — wearing a blond wig and a red satin minidress with matching kitten heels — took the stage after winning one of the most sought-after titles by content creators at Sunday night’s award ceremony and used the moment to comment on the hate she’s been subjected since her Bud Light marketing disaster in April.
“My life has been changed for the better,” the trans influencer said while clutching her award.
“But also there’s been an extreme amount of transphobia and hate, and I know that my community is feeling it, and I know that even our allies are feeling it.”
Cheerfully commenting on the number of “allies that have platforms” present while giving her speech, Mulvaney asked them to look at “allyship” differently.
“You need to support trans people publicly and proudly,’ she proclaimed before being interrupted by a storm of applause from the audience.
Mulvaney went on to compare her fellow creators to the trans community.
“I think the trans community and the creator community actually have something in common. It’s that people often underestimate us,” she explained before asking for others to stay “optimistic” about acceptance for the transgender community.
Mulvaney thanked the crowd before making a subtle joke about the controversy that landed her in hot water earlier this year.
“I’m gonna go have a beer and… I love ya,” she said before scurrying off the stage.
Earlier in the ceremony, Mulvaney presented the best comedy prize with digital content creator Chris Olsen.
In April, Mulvaney posted on Instagram a picture of herself drinking a Bud Light can with her face on it, using the hashtag #budlightpartner for March Madness.
The can was gifted to her by the company in celebration of 365 days of “girlhood,” a phrase she uses to describe her transition from male to female in her video series on YouTube and across social media.
What followed was a harsh response from critics and boycotts that cost the company over $27 billion and heavy layoffs and its over two-decade title as America’s favorite beer.
In June, Anheuser-Busch denied they fired the VP of marketing behind the disastrous ad idea, Alissa Heinerscheid, though she has been absent from the company since early April.
The outrage among Bud Light drinkers nationwide accused the brand of trying to force progressive beliefs on them through its marketing.
Mulvaney’s partnership with Bud Light prompted boycotts from notable country artists like Travis Tritt and Kid Rock.
Rock went as far as posting a video showing the “American Bad Ass” singer shooting up cases of Bud Light with a semiautomatic rifle.
“F–k Bud Light, and f–k Anheuser-Busch,” the rocker snapped while flipping the bird at the camera before ending the video.
A significant blow to Bud Light’s image was being surpassed in beer sales by Modelo this month, according to recent data from NielsenIQ.
Modelo, which is distributed in the US by New York-based Constellation Brands, had an 8.34% share of dollars spent on beer compared to 8.28% for Bud Light through Aug. 12, NIQ reported.
Though Anheuser-Busch has never publicly apologized for the ad, the fallout left the company distancing itself from the influencer as it continually has made efforts to rebuild its image.
On Thursday, the company released an ad ahead of the final weekend of the NFL preseason directed at “real fans” in an apparent attempt to win back beer drinkers who’ve boycotted the brand since the Mulvaney fiasco.
The minute-long ad features NFL fans preparing meals and drinking Bud Light while watching their favorite teams, using the tagline “Football, Bud Light and Sunday go easy together.”
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