Belgian beer giant Anheuser-Busch will lose its former ‘perfect rating’ as the largest LGBTQ advocacy group after the company backtracked on the Bud Light controversy involving ‘transgender influencer’ Dylan Mulvaney .
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which rates companies on their LGBTQ policies through the Corporate Equality Index (CEI), informed Anheuser-Busch of the downgrade in a leaked letter obtained by USA Today.
According to the letter shared with USA Today on May 9, HRC suspended the Anheuser-Busch Corporate Equality Index score, which evaluates companies on their policies toward LGBTQ employees. Companies that achieve a perfect score on all four of the index’s criteria, including protection against employment discrimination, inclusive benefits, inclusive culture and responsible citizenship, receive the Best Places to Work seal of approval. LGBTQ+ equality”.
Anheuser-Busch, which previously had a perfect social credit score of 100, has been given 90 days to respond to the letter, or the HRC may further lower its score. Anheuser-Busch did not comment on HRC’s letter, but did mention that it had an employee resource group that supports LGBTQIA+ employees.
Eric Bloem, senior director of the Human Rights Campaign, criticized Anheuser-Busch’s response, saying the company missed an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). .
While Anheuser-Busch’s new rating has not been disclosed, the company has been given a 90-day window to respond. The HRC website now displays a “points deducted” notice on the Anheuser-Busch page.
Anheuser-Busch has been working to repair its reputation after facing major backlash in April over an ad featuring Dylan Mulvaney, a trans man, and his “365 Days of Girlhood” project with a special can of Bud Light. The ad received an immediate backlash, leading to a successful boycott of Bud Light and a significant drop in sales.
Anheuser-Busch has distanced itself from Dylan Mulvaney and attributed the controversial ad to a third-party marketing firm. The company plans to focus on marketing efforts to mitigate the damage from the Mulvaney campaign, which led to a 17% decline in Bud Light sales for the week ending April 15.
Although Anheuser-Busch has lost support from conservative consumers, its target audience in America, the company is attempting a temporary camouflage print redesign of some Bud Light and Budweiser cans. However, this marketing strategy is unlikely to win back the support of its base, which has effectively boycotted the company.
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