Blowback

The right wing is perennially in outrage mode with this era being particularly galling because the cultural changes have been too rapid for them. As a result they have been regularly soiling their diapers with their vitriol. So when Dylan Mulvaney's likeness was placed on a can of Bud Light they went extra ape shit. Although it was meant to be a profit calculated olive branch to the LGBT community, the company pleased no one with their response. Once the sales of Bud Light took a hit, the company simply offered a timid statement saying that they meant to anger no one and want no divisiveness.

The amount of hatred and threats that Dylan Mulvaney received was inexcusable. But the distancing by the company was typical in that it showed that there was no sincere interest in supporting her but merely improving their sales to yet another customer group.

The climate is currently still poisonous and talk of grooming by conservatives led to canceling pride parades in 2023. That Mulvaney became a convenient target for the right was likely because she was too jubilant and too in your face. Her "days of girlhood" campaign even had the usual suspects like Blaire White putting her down as a caricature of a transgender person.

What this showed me is that the intensity of the blowback has these haters scared because they know it's too late to go back to where things were. But also I was reminded that you don't need to like everything about Dylan Mulvaney to simply treat her with the respect she deserves as a fellow human being who simply had the sheer audacity to star in a beer ad.