Right-wing internet users are claiming that a top employee at Bud Light is transgender after the beer maker sparked outrage among conservatives for partnering with a member of the LGBTQ community.
Bud Light and its parent company Anheuser-Busch have faced purported boycotts in recent days after Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender influencer popular on TikTok, revealed that they had been given a commemorative can by the brand.
The announcement led the music artist Kid Rock to shoot several cases of Bud Light with an automatic rifle, while country music star Travis Tritt said that he would stop using Anheuser-Busch’s products at his concerts.
Now, a video of Alissa Heinerscheid, Bud Light’s Vice President of Marketing, has led some of those participating in the boycott to claim that the executive identifies as transgender. In the video, from March 30, before the Mulvaney drama played out, Heinerscheid says she chose to make the brand more inclusive by moving away from its “fratty and out of touch” roots in order to attract a younger audience.
Although some conservatives merely attacked her comments, others began making remarks about her physical appearance.
One such commenter argued that Heinerscheid had “huge hands,” while others claimed that she had a protruding Adam’s apple.
Numerous comments also referred to the marketing VP as a “he” and a “man.”
Only a small number of users in the replies pushed back against the demeaning remarks, of which there is no evidence.
“Just so we’re clear…. you’re implying if a woman has large hands, she must be male?” one user asked.
The claims regarding Heinerscheid aren’t the first conspiratorial remarks made since the Bud Light boycott began. Conservatives also spread the debunked claim that Anheuser-Busch fired its entire marketing department for entering into a deal with Mulvaney.
In response to the rhetoric, the beer maker released a statement defending its marketing choices.
“Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics,” the company said. “From time to time we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Dylan Mulvaney. This commemorative can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public.”
Anheuser-Busch did not respond to a request for comment.
