Dylan Mulvaney breaks silence over transphobic Bud Light backlash: ‘I’m doing OK’
Dylan Mulvaney has spoken out about the transphobic Bud Light uproar. (TikTok/Instagram/@DylanMulvaney
It’s been almost a month since Bud Light sent bigots into the biggest tailspin of their lives by providing Dylan Mulvaney with a beer, and now the trans TikTok star has finally had her say.
In the unlikely event that you need catching up on the firestorm, on 1 April, Mulvaney shared an Instagram video with her 1.8 million followers in which she revealed that the beer brand had sent her a personalised pack of beer with her face on it, in celebration of her “365 days of womanhood”.
The collaboration also marked the NCAA Men’s Division Basketball Tournament, aka March Madness, with Bud Light offering a $15,000 prize.
Innocuous enough, right? Apparently not, according to the endless right-wing snowflakes who attempted to launch a mass boycott of the beer and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch.
Singer Kid Rock posted an eye-wateringly cringeworthy video of himself shooting at cans of Bud Light, with other conservative music stars following suit. Republican commentators and news channels spent literal hours mulling over the 47-second clip, contemplating how it signified the end of days.
Mulvaney’s other brand collaborators, including Nike and Maybelline, also faced calls for a boycott, as the number of products available for transphobes to use dwindled by the day.
Throughout the furore, Mulvaney herself remained relatively quiet when it came to addressing the backlash. However, in a new TikTok video uploaded on Thursday (27 April), she explained why she wanted to “take the backseat” at first and let the fury die down, and why she has now changed her mind.
“I’ve been offline for a few weeks and a lot has been said about me, some of which is so far from my truth, that I was hearing my name, and I didn’t even know who they were talking about sometimes,” she began.
Explaining why she decided to make a social media return, Mulvaney said: “I remembered nearly 13 million people enjoyed me enough at some point to hit the follow button on these apps, and I was like, wait, I wanna talk to those people.
“I’m doing OK. I’m trying this new thing where I don’t pressure myself to share anything before I’m ready. I’m sitting with my emotions, not reacting … shockingly, I can’t recommend it more.”
While Dylan Mulvaney has received a wave of support from a very, very broad range of stars across the world of celebrity – from Whoopi Goldberg to Kirstie Allsopp and, erm, Joe Rogan – the vast majority of the bigoted backlash has been rooted in simple transphobia.
Reflecting on the anti-trans vitriol, Mulvaney said: “I’ve always tried to love everyone. Even the people that make it really hard. I think it’s OK to be frustrated with someone or confused, but what I’m struggling to understand is the need to dehumanise and be cruel.
“I don’t think that’s right. Dehumanisation has never fixed anything in history, ever.”
The social media star also opened up about being called “too feminine and over the top” throughout her childhood, and how those same words are being used as insults now she is an adult, trans woman.
Speaking directly to her fans, she rounded off by adding: “I’m embarrassed to tell you this but I was nervous that you were going to start believing those things that they were saying about me. The people who know me and my heart won’t listen to that noise.”
While the anti-LGBTQ+ right have continued to rage, Mulvaney’s fans have professed to stay by her side.
“I both simultaneously feel for her for all the hate and bulls**t she’s getting … and yet am impressed at how well she’s handling all of this and staying so positive. I don’t know how she does it,” one fan wrote.
“God dammit I love her so much. Same f**king thing here when I was a teen. Too feminine, too dramatic, over the top, emotional. Love and solidarity with her forever,” said another.
Plus, it’s bad news for bigots, as the vast majority of sports and drinks brands partner with LGBTQ+ influencers, regardless of the backlash.
