Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney used her celebratory speech at the 2023 Streamy Awards as an opportunity to hint at transphobia – before promising to toast her victory with a beer.
Mulvaney, 26, who has been embroiled in controversy over her Bud Light partnership for much of the first half of the year, won the gong for Breakthrough Creator, considered the “highest recognition within the creator community,” at Sunday night’s awards ceremony.
The trans influencer – clad in a red satin mini dress and matching glittery kitten heels – delivered an acceptance speech aimed at her critics and gave a brief nod to the furore she caused earlier in the year.
“My life has changed for the better, but there has also been an extreme level of transphobia and hatred, and I know my community feels it and I know even our allies feel it,” she said, presenting her award at the Hand.
“Looking around this space I just see so many great allies that have platforms and I think the alliance needs to look different now.” “You have to support trans people openly and with pride,” she added to applause .
“I love you so much, thank you, thank you, I’m going for a beer and… I love you!”
Mulvaney, 26 – who was embroiled in a controversy over a partnership with Bud Light for much of the first half of the year – wore a red satin mini dress to the Streamies, which is considered “the highest recognition within the YouTuber community”.
Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney warned against transphobia and said she will celebrate with a beer after being celebrated at the 2023 Streamy Awards on Sunday night
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XhQ8ATKPLc
Previously, she presented the best comedy award alongside actor and digital creator Chris Olsen with a pre-planned play that looked like an attack on the haters.
Olsen began, “The most important thing when it comes to comedy is…” and Mulvaney immediately cut him off, “Don’t ever look at the comments!”
Her co-host joked, “Maybe it’s the timing?” and she replied, “Yeah, yeah, timing seems important.”
The influencer sported a long blonde wig, false lashes and a crimson lip to match her outfit as she posed on the red carpet, showing off her waistline in her low-cut dress.
Mulvaney’s comment at the awards ceremony may have been a dig at her critics after her disastrous bud-light ad cost the company $27 billion, prompted corporate layoffs and stripped the company of its long-held title as America’s Favorite Beer.
Mulvaney posted about drinking Bud Light in early April 2023 under the hashtag #budlightpartner. She released the content to coincide with the NCAA March Madness tournament before joking that she doesn’t know what sport she’s promoting.
Since the April fiasco, Anheuser-Busch has struggled to maintain its reputation as an all-American company without distancing itself from the LGBTQ groups it has long supported.
The brand hasn’t apologized for the campaign, nor has it doubled its pace, with CEO Brendan Whitworth walking a diplomatic tightrope in the few interviews he’s agreed to since the episodes began.
Mulvaney worked with Bud Light on the March Madness campaign in April and was gifted a can of the lager with her face on it – sparking outrage
The tin was gifted to Mulvaney to “be a girl” for 365 days, the phrase she uses to describe her transition from male to female.
The partnership drew strong backlash from some quarters: musician Kid Rock released a video of him shooting Bud Light boxes, and country singers John Rich and Travis Tritt parted ways with the brand.
In April, shortly after the brand’s partnership with Mulvaney, singer Kid Rock declared on Instagram, ‘F**k Bud Light! F**k Anheuser-Busch!’
He sent his message in an Instagram video that showed him firing a semi-automatic rifle at a crate of beer.
His fans were delighted, as were others who were upset by Beer’s decision to work with a transgender activist like Mulvaney.
However, Rock was spotted drinking from a can of the stuff at a concert in Nashville in early August, four months after he spearheaded a voracious boycott of the beer brand.
It sparked outrage from drinkers across the country, who accused Bud Light of trying to impose progressive beliefs on them and their favorite brand.
The transgender rights debate is the hottest topic in the United States right now.
April: An enraged Kid Rock fires bullets into a crate of Bud Light in an act of war against Anheuser-Busch
Gender critical feminists oppose allowing transgender women into areas reserved for women, such as domestic violence shelters.
There is also widespread opposition to trans women competing against biological women in sports for fear that male puberty gives them an unfair advantage.
While Mulvaney has largely stayed aloof from these issues, her collaboration with Bud Light seemed like a lightning rod for people concerned about progressive ideologies, giving them a direct tool to hurt a brand they supported .
Bud Light was also surpassed as the top drink by Modelo Especial – another Anheuser-Busch brand – and achieved a market value of more than US$27 billion.
Modelo surpassed Bud Light’s $297 million mark — down 22.8 percent in sales compared to the same period last year. They reported an 11 percent increase in sales for the second quarter of this year.
The company lost a whopping $390 million in US sales as a result of the partnership.
It’s the first time since 2001 that Bud Light hasn’t been at the top, edging out its sister brand Budweiser for the title of “King of Beer” in 2001.
Persistent problems include that after the big marketing blunder, Anheuser-Busch forced two of its top executives on “furlough” and immediately moved to a more “patriotic” ad series.
There have been claims that both executives were eventually fired over the fiasco – which the company denies.
Alissa Heinerscheid, vice president of marketing, 39, and Daniel Blake, vice president of mainstream brands, 34, have both taken voluntary leave of absence following the backlash.
Anheuser Busch blamed Bud Light’s “slump in volume” for the second-quarter sales decline — figures show that total U.S. sales for the April-June period fell 10.5 percent year-on-year.
Many Americans viewed the partnership with Mulvaney as the last straw that tipped the scales for corporate integration of politics with consumerism.
In a new YouGov poll of 1,468 people, public approval of beer plummeted so much that it dropped from the top ten to 15th place
Anheuser-Busch profits plummeted after the first scandal. Overall, the company is down $40 billion
The brand’s ousted marketing chief Alissa Heinerscheid, 39, said she plans to update the “fratty” and “out of touch” branding. Daniel Blake, 34, vice president of mainstream brands, has also taken a voluntary leave of absence following the controversy earlier in the year
Marketing director Alissa Heiner Schneid was largely blamed for the ill-fated social media campaign, which saw Mulvaney receive a special, one-off can of beer with her face on it
Eventually, she shot an Instagram video complaining about the brand.
After the bud-light ad, Target was besieged for its enthusiasm for Pride month, which saw stores prioritize LGBTQ displays and market items like “tuck-friendly swimsuits.”
Most recently, Mulvaney was auditioned for the upcoming Broadway revival of Cabaret, which is expected to be starring Eddie Redmayne.