Controversy in some conservative circles over a partnership between Bud Light and a much-maligned transgender influencer likely led to the assault on a couple in Vaughan, Ontario.
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According to York Regional Police, a man and woman were leaving a beer shop with their groceries on Saturday night when three men shouted at them.
“One of the suspects commented on the man’s alcohol choices and threw out homophobic slurs when he approached.”
The woman intervened but was attacked. The man was then beaten and thrown to the ground, police said. The assault on the couple continued until a witness intervened, prompting the suspects to flee.
The 27-year-old woman was taken to hospital for her injuries, while the 26-year-old man suffered minor injuries that did not require hospitalization.
According to local media, the suspects believed the couple had just bought Bud Light, which sparked the altercation, when in fact the man and woman had bought a different brand of beer.
“I think there was rainbow colors on some of the cans, which would have started the whole thing,” a police spokesman told Global News.
In early April, brewing giant Anheuser-Busch partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who received cans of Bud Light with her face printed on her to celebrate the one-year anniversary of her transition.
This business partnership has become a national issue and has been denounced by many conservative right-wing figures, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has called for a boycott of Bud Light. Singer Kid Rock shot Bud Light cans with an assault rifle.
The company’s stock market value had fallen by several billion dollars in the wake of the controversy.