Kohl’s Becomes Latest Target Of LGBTQ Culture Wars: Here Are All The Others—From Bud Light To Target

After Bud Light came under fire from far-right pundits and social media users for a brief partnership with trans TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney, critics seem to be seizing the momentum and are piling on many more companies for advertising campaigns that reach out to the LGBTQ community, in some cases recirculating promotions that are years old, branding the companies as "woke" and calling for boycotts.

Rainbow bottles of Bud Light during the 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York on May 4, 2019. ... [+] (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for GLAAD)

Bud Light faced boycotts and a dip in sales after it sent TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney, known for documenting her gender transition to her 10 million followers, a customized can with her face on it on April 1, with high-profile critics including musicians Kid Rock, Travis Tritt and John Rich and pundits Ben Shapiro and Candace Owens.

Amid the Bud Light controversy, Tritt and other critics dug up a two-year-old Jack Daniels marketing campaign featuring drag performers from RuPaul's Drag Race.

Another Mulvaney collaborator, Nike, was condemned by Olympic athletes Sharron Davies and Caitlyn Jenner for its marketing campaign in which Mulvaney modeled leggings and sports bras.

A months-old Miller Lite commercial for Women's History Month, in which actress and comedian Ilana Glazer promotes the company's commitment to recycling old advertisements it deems sexist to create fertilizer to brew more beer, resurfaced in mid-May and caught the attention of Joe Rogan and Shapiro, who slammed "identity politics" (Molson Coors forcefully defended the campaign, stating there is nothing "remotely controversial" about it).

Critics jumped on Adidas for a trans-inclusive swimwear marketing campaign, including Davies, a frequent critic of transgender women participating in women's sports, who tweeted the hashtag #AdidasHatesWomen.

Starbucks debuted an ad in India last week depicting a father reconciling his relationship with his trans daughter, which some labeled sweet and "groundbreaking," though it attracted criticism from Shapiro and other commentators.

Critics including conservative pundit Dave Rubin recirculated a two-year-old campaign from Ford, who in response to internet trolls built the "Very Gay Raptor," a Ranger Raptor car adorned with rainbow colors that has appeared in promotional materials and at pride events.

The Los Angeles Dodgers came under fire from some Catholics, including advocacy group CatholicVoice, and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) after it planned to honor The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a charity that raises money for LGBTQ causes and performs in in drag dressed as nuns, at Pride Night, causing the Dodgers to uninvite the Sisters to the outrage of the Dodgers’ other LGBTQ partner groups.

Target sparked outrage from conservatives including Megyn Kelly and Shapiro for selling trans-inclusive swimwear and items designed by a brand whose other designs have used Satanic imagery, leading the retailer to pull some items from its Pride collection, a decision that angered LGBTQ supporters.

The North Face unveiled its second annual "Summer of Pride" marketing campaign featuring drag queen and environmentalist Pattie Gonia to urge customers to enjoy the outdoors, quickly sparking outrage from critics including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who accused the brand of "sexually targeting children," a false claim often used by conservative critics to target drag queens.

Kohl's came under fire on social media for its Pride collection, which includes clothing for children and babies, sparking calls for a boycott from conservatives including Fox News host Laura Ingraham, who suggested on Twitter the company does not respect "common sense" or "the America ideal."

These controversies follow a slew of legislation and protests targeting the LGBTQ community in recent months. The ACLU has identified 482 bills introduced in state legislatures this year as anti-LGBTQ, including many that seek to limit gender-affirming care for transgender youth and education of gender and sexuality in schools. Drag performers have also come under attack as some states move to ban or limit drag performances in public spaces and outraged conservatives protest outside Drag Story Hour events.

The various boycott efforts have been ridiculed by some celebrities and social media users. Country singer Zach Bryan criticized Tritt's boycott of Bud Light on Twitter, stating: "I just think insulting transgender people is completely wrong because we live in a country where we can all just be who we want to be." Radio host Howard Stern said he was "dumbfounded" by the Bud Light backlash and questioned why Kid Rock and Tritt would find the Dylan Mulvaney ad hurtful. The Guardian columnist Arwa Mahdawi criticized the backlash to the Miller Lite ad and considered it a "targeted harassment and intimidation campaign" against company marketing executives whose personal details and social media profiles were reportedly dug up by angered conservatives. After the Bud Light controversy picked up steam, some social media users posted videos of themselves throwing away unopened cans of beer—but others pointed out they’ve already purchased the beer and given Bud Light their money. When Shapiro accused Starbucks of "exporting the transness to India," some pointed out India has had a concept of a third gender—known as "hijra"—for thousands of years, enshrined in law since 2014, though hijras face discrimination in society.

Corporations have also previously faced criticism from supporters of the LGBTQ community for their Pride Month outreach, sometimes critically dubbing it "rainbow capitalism." Companies have been criticized for making small, symbolic gestures—like changing their logos to rainbow colors during June—while donating money to anti-LGBTQ causes or politicians.

$3.9 trillion. That's the estimated annual purchasing power of the global LGBTQ community, according to corporate advisory and asset management group LGBT Capital. The United States is estimated to account for $1.1 billion of this total.

How Trans TikTok Star Dylan Mulvaney Became A Far-Right Target After Scoring Deals With Bud Light And Nike (Forbes)

Molson Coors Slaps Anti-‘Woke’ Critics—Like Joe Rogan And Ben Shapiro—And Defends Miller Lite Women's History Ad (Forbes)

L.A. Dodgers’ Pride Night Controversy Explained: Why LGBTQ Groups And Politicians Are Slamming Team (Forbes)