So far, bars throughout major Wyoming towns reported no discernible changes in Bud Light sales - up or down - since the company last week sponsored transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney
Transgender woman Dylan Mulvaney on Saturday posted a social media video praising Bud Light for creating a commemorative can with Mulvaney's face on it.
The can, which Bud Light has since said is not for general sale, is to commemorate Mulvaney's "day 365 of womanhood."
About The Same
Cowboy State Daily surveyed seven bartenders in large Wyoming towns, and none had seen a change, up or down, in Bud Light sales from the controversy.
"I don't think we'll change too much," said a bartender who gave the name Sean, of Outlaw Saloon in Cheyenne. "I've only had like one customer somewhat concerned about it. It's still kind of too early to tell at the moment."
Another Cheyenne bar, the Eagle's Nest, reported that nobody is declining the beer.
The bartender, who declined to give her name, said her Bud Light sales are "better than ever," and the beer remains and always has been a popular beer.
She also theorized that the Mulvaney sponsorship was a hoax.
Many people believed the video was a hoax because it surfaced on April Fool's Day, but Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch has since confirmed the partnership.
Not A Political Party Type Of Bar
The manager at the Front Street Tavern in Laramie, who gave the first name of Hannah, said she hasn't seen a change and doesn't expect to, but the tavern has always sold more cocktails than beers anyway.
"We're a pretty queer restaurant, honestly, so a lot of our customers know this is a safe space," she said.
Hannah referred Cowboy State Daily to the Ruffed Up Duck, also in Laramie, which she said was another "queer-friendly" bar.
The bartender at Ruffed Up Duck said there's been no change in sales.
"The people that come in that drink Bud Light still drink their Bud Light," said the bartender, who preferred not to give his name. "The people that don't, haven't started. I don't think it's really had an effect here."
The bartender added, "We're not really like a gung-ho, bleed-your-political-party type of bar. Just people being people, I guess."
Just Too Busy
A bartender from the Sundance Lounge in Gillette said she's been so busy, she hasn't paid attention to Bud Light sales.
Another Gillette bar, the Montgomery Bar, could not be reached for comment.
The Livestock in Riverton reported no change and said Bud Light is still a good seller.
The Beacon Club in Casper said the same.
March Madness
Mulvaney's video has sparked both praise and criticism on social media.
In it, the influencer was dressed as Audrey Hepburn, drinking a canned Bud Light, and delivering an expression of gratitude for the company issuing the commemorative can celebrating Mulvaney's 365 days of presenting as a woman.
"Hi!" said Mulvaney in the video, carrying five Bud Light cans to a table. "Impressive carrying skills, right? I got some Bud Lights for us.
"So, I kept hearing about this thing called March Madness and I thought we were all just having a hectic month, but, it turns out it had something to do with sports," Mulvaney said. "And I'm not sure exactly which sport but either way it's a cause to celebrate. This month I celebrated my day 365 of womanhood, and Bud Light sent me possibly the best gift ever - a can with my face on it!"
Mulvaney concluded, saying "cheers. Go team. Whatever team you love, I love too. Love ya!"
The Reactions
Reactions varied wildly.
Conservative commentator Candace Owens cast the Mulvaney pitch as sexist, saying in a Monday video that the influencer is perpetuating "that repeated stereotype of women being stupid."
Owens mocked Mulvaney's falsetto.
"OK let's keep leaning into this stereotype," she said. "And Bud Light thought this was funny."
Music star Kid Rock's reaction was more abrupt: he posted a video of himself this week shooting a stack of Bud Light cans with a rifle.
The Pushback's Pushback
A Twitter parody account pretending to be Newsmax posted "BREAKING NEWS" on Thursday, followed by a faux news story saying Kid Rock had died after bullets ricocheted off the Bud Light cans and hit him in the testicles.
Other Twitter users took to the keyboards to defend the brand and ridicule its detractors.
"Watching fragile middle aged white men toss their Bud Light because they found out a trans women (sic) drinks the same beer only to replace it with Coors Light (which has) been aligned with the LGBTQ community for years, is top tier comedy," wrote a Twitter user on Wednesday.
Another tweeter posted a photograph of Kid Rock drinking beer with a drag queen, with a caption saying, "It didn't bother him back then... he's now trying to stay relevant so he spews fake outrage."
Famed heiress Paris Hilton congratulated Mulvaney with a one-word comment: "Cheers."
Company Stands By Choice
Anheuser-Busch issued a statement this week in which the Bud Light parent company stood by Mulvaney, Yahoo News reported.
"Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics," said Anheuser-Busch. "From time to time we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Dylan Mulvaney. This commemorative can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public."
Because, Politics
Transgender issues attained new levels of politicization in Wyoming this year, with multiple legislative bills aiming to restrict transgender crossover in school sports, transgender-related medical treatments for kids and teaching of transgender issues to young students. One failed bill attempted to categorize child sex-change treatments as child abuse.
The only transgender-related bill that passed into law in Wyoming was Senate File 133, which bans males from girls' interscholastic sports in grades seven through 12.
Clair McFarland can be reached at: Clair@CowboyStateDaily.com
