Dylan Mulvaney said she has struggled to understand “the need to dehumanize and be cruel” following right-wing outrage over her partnership with Bud Light earlier this month.
The trans activist and TikTok influencer thanked fans for their support as she broke her silence after her partnership with the beer led conservatives like Kid Rock to shoot Bud Light cans with a gun and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) to boycott the beverage in favor of Coors Light (despite the latter brand having a track record of supporting the LGBTQ community).
The backlash sparked an Anheuser-Busch statement described as “bland and generic” and led the company to place two executives on leaves of absences.
Mulvaney, in her first TikTok in roughly three weeks, said some of what’s “been said” about her has been far from the truth and revealed that she’s been “having crazy deja vu” after facing criticism.
“I’m an adult, I’m 26 and throughout childhood I was called too feminine and over-the-top and here I am now being called all those same things but this time it’s from other adults,” said Mulvaney, who later quipped that she should be accused of being a theater person who is camp.
She then discussed growing up in a conservative family, adding that she’s been “extremely privileged” to have their love and her faith intact.
“I’ve always tried to love everyone, even the people that make it really really hard and I think it’s OK to be frustrated with someone or confused but what I’m struggling to understand is the need to dehumanize and to be cruel,” Mulvaney said.
“I just don’t think that’s right. Dehumanization has never fixed anything in history ever.”
Mulvaney went on to remark that she was nervous her TikTok followers would believe criticism about her.
“But I’m just going to go ahead and trust that the people who know me and my heart won’t listen to that noise,” she said.
You can watch more of Mulvaney’s first TikTok video in weeks below.
