Dylan Mulvaney Breaks Silence After Conservative Backlash Over Bud Light Partnership

It was April 1 when the actress and transgender TIkTok star, who has been chronicling her transition since last year in a series called "Days of Girlhood," shared a video touting a new partnership with Bud Light and a special can with her picture on it. The clip engendered incredible outrage.

It wasn't just the usual online transphobic trolls in an uproar, either, as conservative media, political figures and celebrities got in in the action. Kid Rock dramatically shot up some cases of Bud Light while Travis Tritt called for a boycott of parent company Anheuser-Busch.

Mulvaney had been radio silent since the heights of the furor, but broke her silence on Thursday with a new video clip addressing the controversy without naming any names -- including the brand she was partnered with.

At the same time, she's been very aware of the conversation that's been swirling around her and her involvement with the major brand. "A lot has been said about me, some of which is so far from my truth, that I was like hearing my name, and I didn’t even know who they were talking about sometimes," she said in her new video.

In her lengthy video, Mulvaney said that while it's okay "to be frustrated with someone or confused," she can't understand "the need to dehumanize and to be cruel." She added, "I don’t think that’s right. You know, dehumanization has never fixed anything in history, ever."

Mulvaney's original plan was to just wait out the haters, until she realized that she wanted to talk to the 13 million people who'd subscribed to her social pages. She also admitted a part of her was worried people would start believing all the noise about her.

She also spoke about feelings of deja vu after a childhood of bullying for being "too feminine and over the top," because she's hearing those things being said about her all over again ... "but this time it's from other adults.

The trans influencer said the biggest emotional hurdle from her has been the level of hate from the conservative community, because that's not been her experience before this. "I grew up in a conservative family, and I’m extremely privileged because they still love me very much," she said. "And I grew up in the church, and I still have my faith, which I am really trying to hold onto right now."

Wrapping up her message, Mulvaney said she's interested in going back to making people laugh and sharing parts of her "that have nothing to do with my identity."

"I’m hoping those parts will still be exciting to you and will be enough," she added. "And to those of you who support me and choose to see my humanity even if you don’t fully understand or relate to me, thank you."

The backlash against Mulvaney's brand partnership is just another layer in the ongoing battle for trans rights happening across the nation. In particular, Republican-controlled states have been enacting increasingly stringent transphobic laws targeting transgender individuals, other members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and even drag queens.

Issues from bathroom rights to the ability for transgender athletes to compete in sports are under fire from coast to coast, while trans access to healthcare is also being targeted. There are currently 469 anti-LGBTQ bills in various stages across the United States, per the ACLU.

Anheuser-Busch both addressed the backlash to the partnership with Mulvaney and didn't address it at all, releasing a statement that said they "never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people."

According to The New York Times, though, the two executives behind the campaign have since been on leave, while Fox Business reports the company lost approximately $5 billion in market value while there are reports of significant drops in sales of Bud Light.

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