Trans actor and ex-Bud Light endorser Ian Harvie: ‘I don’t believe in the allyship of Anheuser-Busch’

Ian Harvie, the transgender actor and comedian who appeared in a Bud Light commercial about gender identity in 2016, said he’s disturbed—but not surprised—by the brewer’s lack of support for trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney, whose social posting for the brand has enraged conservatives. “It is disturbing that there’s no statement of support [for Mulvaney],” Harvie told Ad Age. “They should have doubled down. They should have said, ‘You think it’s offensive to have a trans person promoting Bud Light? Well, here’s 10 more.’” While being pilloried by conservatives—who are moving to restrict trans rights in a number of U.S. states—Bud Light has also been criticized by progressives for its lack of support for Mulvaney during the uproar. Just this week, LGBTQ+ advocacy group The Human Rights Campaign called on Anheuser-Busch InBev to express more explicit support for her and the trans community. Related: What brands can learn from Bud Light situation Ad Age Creativity Bookmark our section covering the best in brand creativity every day Read more here That support has not been forthcoming. And even though he appeared in a Bud Light ad himself that called for inclusion, Harvie said he isn’t surprised the brand now appears to be waffling in its LGBTQ+ allyship in the face of declining sales. “I don’t believe in the allyship of Anheuser-Busch,” he said. “It’s not about diversity, it’s about dollars. They looked at her socials and just said, ‘You know what? Here’s a topic that’s hot right now. Why don’t we pay this person to do a promotion?’” Harvie said he didn’t believe the allyship was real in 2016, either. Even though he liked the message of the ad, he felt the arrangement was largely mercenary—on both sides. “It was about the dollars for me too, honestly,” he said. “I’m a working comic actor. I was thrilled to be in the presence of Amy Schumer and glad to get a nice paycheck from that. I’m 30 years sober—I don’t even drink. I didn’t believe in the allyship from the get-go.” Anheuser-Busch InBev declined to comment for this story. The 2016 spot (which you can see below) had Seth Rogen and Amy Schumer saying that Bud Light is not just for men and women but for “people of all genders.” It didn’t actually feature the word “transgender,” but Schumer does say, “Gender identity—it’s really a spectrum, and we don’t need these labels.” And Rogen adds: “Beer should have labels, not people.” “We don’t care. We’ll sell you a beer,” Rogen says at the end. The ad was part of a larger campaign from Wieden+Kennedy New York called “Bud Light Party,” which took a whimsical approach, mocking political ads but also connecting the brand to socially progressive causes as it suggested it was a beer for everyone. The transgender spot got support from gay rights group GLAAD and drew little wider criticism at the time. Asked about that, Harvie said there are two main differences between that spot and Mulvaney’s Instagram posts. First, he said, trans women are the subject of much more hate than trans men. “As much as I do feel scared and in danger—I just traveled to Florida, and my eyes were peeled for sure—the truth is that transphobic responses are so much more visceral around trans women than trans men,” he said. “This is largely rooted in misogyny and transphobia combined.” Harvie added that most people watching the 2016 spot—the only commercial he’s made in his career—probably didn’t even realize he was trans. “I think people would have had a hard time going, ‘Wait, who’s the person I’m supposed to hate here?’” he said. See all of Ad Age's 2023 Creativity Award winners here The other factor, he said, is simply the political environment of 2023, where trans people face renewed discrimination from conservatives looking to curtail their rights. On that score, Harvie said, the Bud Light controversy is merely a proxy for a larger cultural fight. “Even though we’re hearing the loud voices and the guns of people shooting up fucking Bud Light cans, what I’m hoping we’re going to learn this next election cycle—and I do have hope—is that anti-trans sentiments and hatred and legislation are actually very unpopular with people,” he said. “What I’m seeing in a lot of polls is that people are not that hateful of trans people. The people who are hateful are being very loud about it right now. They’ve been emboldened.” Though Bud Light sales are down over the past month, Harvie believes it’s not actually about Bud Light at all. “The truth is that Kid Rock and his followers are still going to drink it,” he said. “They’re going to scream about it, but they’ll keep drinking it. It doesn’t change the taste or the price point for them. They’re not microbrew-heads.” It’s the larger issue of trans rights that’s important, he added. And when it comes to that battle, he believes conservatives are out of step with public sentiment and on the wrong side of history—much as he believes they are on abortion as well, another divisive issue of body autonomy. “We are now in the part of the movement where most people actually know someone trans or non-binary,” he said. “Someone in their family, a co-worker, someone has come out. And so my hope is that those people who know someone are going to the polls and they’re going to stand up for them. That is my hope.”

Trans actor and ex-Bud Light endorser Ian Harvie: ‘I don’t believe in the allyship of Anheuser-Busch’

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