Powerful LGBTQ+ group spanks Anheuser-Busch over failure to have Dylan Mulvaney’s back

Anheuser-Busch can’t win for losing and the largest LGBTQ+ organization in the country followed through on its threat to punish the reeling beer giant for not standing by its man, transgender brand ambassador Dylan Mulvaney, with the Human Rights Campaign prepared to strip the king of beers of its coveted 100 score on the activist group’s Corporate Equality Index.

Last month, the HRC called Anheuser-Busch execs on the carpet in a scathing letter, demanding that the company reaffirm its support for transgenderism and “stand in solidarity” behind Mulvaney and do so in a public manner or face the consequences of having its CEI score adversely affected. The index is a sort of Chinese-style social credit system that is used to keep corporations toeing the line with the LGBTQ agenda or risk being seen as homophobic, a powerful tool for a movement that has perfected the art of coercion through bullying.

Apparently, the Anheuser-Busch response was insufficient to satisfy the organization’s demands, and its Corporate Equality Index score has been at least temporarily suspended, details that were contained in a letter dated May 9 that was shared with USA Today.

“Anheuser-Busch had a key moment to really stand up and demonstrate the importance of their values of diversity, equity and inclusion and their response really fell short,” Eric Bloem, the HRC’s senior director, of programs and corporate advocacy told the outlet.

(Video: The Daily Mail)

“As we look at those pressures on businesses, it all comes back down to understanding that the LGBTQ+ community is part of the fabric of our society,” Bloem added. “This is not the first time a business has been tested for supporting the LGBTQ+ community. What remains true is that businesses that do stand up for the community in meaningful ways and really live up to their values of allyship succeed.”

The HRC bills its credit scoring system as, “the national benchmarking tool on corporate policies, practices and benefits pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees,” on its website.

According to USA Today, “Anheuser-Busch, which had a score of 100, has 90 days to respond or the organization will consider docking its score, the Human Rights Campaign told the company in the letter, seeming to leave open the possibility that it isn’t too late for redemption but it would probably take some serious groveling on the company’s part at this point, leaving the alcoholic beverage colossus in a no-win position, sucking up to the HRC and possibly saving their rating could come at a very steep cost with sales continuing to tank and the boycotts showing no signs of subsiding, in fact, they are intensifying.

A former Anheuser-Busch executive appeared on Friday’s edition of “Varney & Company” on Fox Business where he told host Stuart Varney that the pain being inflicted on the company is only feeding the rejection of Bud products as sales are down for the fifth consecutive week.

“Consumers feel like they’re having an impact. And every single week these sales numbers are being reported, and they’re getting worse and worse every single week. So I see this continuing to drag on until Bud Light makes a comment about what they stand for and what customers they’re going to serve,” said Anson Frericks, the former exec.

(Video: Fox Business)

“With Bud Light, that was never part of the brand or part of the message. And I think that’s what’s upset so many people here. And that’s why I think this boycott is going to go on a lot longer than people give it credit for,” he said.

“There’s two reasons that boycotts tend to be successful. The first is when it’s easy for consumers to switch to other brands. And it’s secondarily when people feel like they’re having an impact,” Frericks continued. “And in this, Bud Light, it’s not very that much different than Coors Light or Miller Lite. It’s water, it’s barley, it’s hops. What sets it apart is its messaging. And so it’s easy for consumers to switch the grocery store, the convenience store, and… consumers feel like they’re having an impact.”

“What does Bud Light stand for? Bud Light… was a brand that was never about politics,” he added. “This is always about a brand that brought people together. It was about football, It was about sports. It was about music. It never got involved in political situations. That’s why it was enjoyed by both Republicans and Democrats equally, and that was what made the brand actually remarkable, is that it was remarkably unpolitical and this is just a political situation they should not have got themselves in.

“As the national benchmarking tool measuring policies, practices and benefits pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) employees, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index is a primary driving force for LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion. Data from the CEI tells the story of nearly two decades of year over year growth in the adoption of these critical policies and practices indicative of employers’ commitment to equality,” the organization’s website states.

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Chris Donaldson

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