Bud Light removed from Florida restaurant menu due to owner’s ‘Biblical faith’
A Florida restaurant has removed Bud Light from its menu due to the owner’s ‘Biblical faith’. (Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
A Florida restaurant has removed Bud Light from its menu because of the owner’s “Biblical faith” following the beer brand’s decision to partner with trans TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney.
In a post on Facebook, Joe Penovich, the owner of Grills Seafood Deck and Tiki Bar in Orlando, claimed that it was halting sales of Bud Light for religious reasons.
He said that while he does not hate Mulvaney, he believes that “transgenderism is a social experiment” causing “irreversible damage” to children.
Penovich claimed the bar would no longer be selling any products from Bud Light’s parent company Anheuser-Busch, instead replacing the products with a locally brewed beer.
In a separate statement, the restaurant’s owner addressed Anheuser-Busch, saying: “I am disgusted by what you have done and what you are doing. .. You are the one causing this division and anger in our society.”
The bizarre statement also referred to gender-affirming care for young people as the “epitome of evil”, despite research showing that gender-affirming healthcare improves trans people’s mental health.
The bar posted the statement in reaction to a post from a customer, who accused the venue of describing Bud Light as “f****t beer”, a claim which the bar strenuously denied.
“This post is not true and not remotely characteristic of who we are or our reputation,” the bar wrote.
The hysteria over Mulvaney’s partnership with Bud Light has been ongoing since the beginning of April, with conservatives threatening to boycott the brand, and some going as far as to smash cans of Bud Light, or even shoot at them.
Despite right-wingers clutching their pearls over Mulvaney’s advert, the company has explained that partnering with trans people is good business.
Alissa Heinerscheid, Bud Light’s marketing vice-president, said in a podcast that the beer needs to ditch its “fratty” representation and become more inclusive in order to continue to grow.
“It means inclusivity, shifting the tone, it means having a campaign that’s truly inclusive and feels lighter and brighter and different, and appeals to women and men,” she explained.
She added that Bud Light had previously had a reputation as a “brand of fratty, out-of-touch humour – and it was really important we had another approach”.
Heinerscheid has reportedly taken a leave of absence following the conservative, anti-trans backlash.
A study conducted by LGBTQ+ charity GLAAD found that 59 per cent of Americans are more inclined to buy a product or service if the business devotes significant resources to helping the LGBTQ+ community.
PinkNews has contacted Grills Seafood Deck and Tiki Bar for comment.
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