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Mark Robertson has had his eye on Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth for weeks.
And when Robertson felt Whitworth was caving to conservative backlash over a short-lived partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, he decided he’d had enough.
“When we really need support is when a portion of our community is under direct attack on a day-in and day-out basis, which is what is happening to the transgender community,” Robertson said. “This choice by AB InBev, to cut and run as fast as you can away from the conflict, that’s just not what we see as being truly supportive.”
Robertson and Mike Sullivan, who own four LGBTQ bars on Chicago’s North Side, decided to pull the company’s products — Bud Light, as well as the Chicago-based Goose Island — from its shelves, as have other Chicago bar owners who feel Anheuser-Busch’s decision was a reversal from its rainbow-branded support of the LGBTQ community.
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It took several weeks for Whitworth to respond to the backlash that broke out in March, after Anheuser-Busch sent Mulvaney a personalized can of Bud Light to mark one year since she began her gender transition.
As singer Kid Rock filmed himself shooting cases of beer and right-wing influencers pledged to start selling alternative Ultra Right beer for Bud Light boycotters, the company pulled its ads featuring Mulvaney, and Whitworth posted a statement April 14 that seemed to backtrack from its message of support.
“We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” Whitworth wrote. “We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer. As CEO of Anheuser-Busch, I am focused on building and protecting our remarkable history and heritage.”
For Robertson, who co-owns 2Bears Tavern, Jackhammer, The Sofo Tap and Meeting House Tavern, the “real crowning point” was when Whitworth said during an investor conference call the campaign was designed by an outside agency. It felt like a doubling down after Anheuser-Busch had already placed two executives who oversaw the campaign on involuntary leave in April.
The LGBTQ-owned 2Bears Tavern Group released a statement Thursday announcing its decision to discontinue the sale of Anheuser-Busch products.
An Anheuser-Busch spokesperson said the company works with hundreds of influencers across its brands to reach audiences across various demographics. The company occasionally creates unique commemorative cans for fans and brand influencers such as Mulvaney, the spokesperson said.
“We remain committed to the programs and partnerships we have forged over decades with organizations to drive economic prosperity across a number of communities, including those in the LGBTQ+ community,” the spokesperson said in a statement to the Tribune.
The company’s response came as in-store sales of Bud Light dropped throughout April, according to data from Bump Williams Consulting, a Connecticut-based firm that specializes in the alcoholic beverage industry.
[ Bud Light sales continue to plummet after transgender marketing controversy ]
Yet Bud Light remains the bestselling beer in America. In 2022, in-store sales reached $4.8 billion, far outpacing Modelo Especial ($3.75 billion) and Michelob Ultra ($3.3 billion), according to Bump Williams data.
Robertson said he and his co-owner made the decision to stop selling Anheuser-Busch brands based on their own principles, but are not necessarily encouraging other bars to do the same.
“We simply removed the products because we believe that in order to be a vendor to us and sell your products in our establishments, you cannot be hostile toward any part of our community,” Robertson said. “We took this as hostility toward a significant part of our community.”
Northalsted bar Sidetrack also said it would no longer sell Anheuser-Busch products in a statement posted to Instagram.
The statement said Sidetrack — owned by longtime activists for gay rights — has always encouraged companies looking to win over the LGBTQ customer base to actively support the community. For decades, many companies weren’t willing to risk the exposure, the statement said.
While encouraged by the increasing support from brands, the bar still wants to hold them accountable for taking “active steps against LGBTQ+ equality, visibility and safety.”
By dropping the Mulvaney campaign, and placing those who created it on leave, Anheuser-Busch “wrongfully validates” the idea that it is acceptable to succumb to demands by those who do not support the trans community, Sidetrack said.
“Until Anheuser-Busch can clearly demonstrate that they will not acquiesce to the voices of hate that wish to erase LGBTQ+ existence, Sidetrack will continue to boycott their products,” the statement said. “Until then, Sidetrack will continue to partner with brands that work to give back to the LGBTQ+ Community and lift the voices of all its members.”
Renauda Riddle, co-founder of Nobody’s Darling, said the Andersonville-based queer-owned cocktail bar has never carried Anheuser-Busch brands. Rather, the business mainly supports smaller companies owned by women and people of color, she said.
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“We are so focused on those local brands that we try our best not to deal with bigger brands,” Riddle said. “We try to make sure that we are giving equity, and by doing this, we always focus on those smaller brands that have the smaller footprint and are usually not able to put so much money into marketing.”
She said customers have been asking whether the bar carries Anheuser-Busch brands. Even though Nobody’s Darling doesn’t, Riddle said it’s still a “great time” to have conversations about the brands they do have.
About two weeks ago, Nobody’s Darling began hosting a happy hour featuring spirits made by women and people of color-owned companies on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, Riddle said.
“What we want is to make sure that we are focused on highlighting the POC and Black spirits and beer and wines that we have at our bar,” she said.
Riddle added that business owners can look at smaller companies and more socially responsible companies, bring them into their bars and “support them as they support us.”
As for the larger companies, such as Anheuser-Busch, Riddle said she hopes they understand their social influence.
“When you have that type of platform and you have that visibility, understand that you are putting care and thought into every decision that your company makes,” Riddle said. “And know that those marginalized groups are the groups that are going to suffer the most by your action or inaction.”
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