SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KOLR/WFLA) — Budweiser has canceled all of its Clydesdale appearances in Springfield, Missouri, citing safety concerns for its employees in the wake of the company’s partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
A local bar scheduled to host the Clydesdale shows told Nexstar’s KOLR it decided to cancel the event after local representatives for the distributor of Anheuser-Busch products received personal threats.
“The hate and vitriol we have recently seen are not something we tolerate or support,” the bar’s owner said in a statement. “If you have a problem with how a company conducts its business, it is your right to not patronize their business, but it is never okay to threaten physical violence, vandalism, sabotage, etc.”
Anheuser-Busch has received backlash after announcing a partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney as a way to celebrate a full year of “girlhood.”
Mulvaney, who is known for a TikTok series documenting her gender transition, first posted a sponsored Instagram reel coinciding with the final days of the NCAA’s March Madness tournament.
In the video, Mulvaney cracks open a regular can of Bud Light, chats about March Madness, promotes a Bud Light contest, and says that the brand had also sent her a special can with her face on it to celebrate the year anniversary of documenting her transition.
In response, country musician Kid Rock posted a video of himself shooting a rifle at packs of Bud Light.
In a statement to the Associated Press, the company emphasized the one-off can it sent to Mulvaney with her face on it is not available for wider release.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
