Brian Sims—the openly gay politician who served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 182nd district from 2013 until 2022—took aim at conservatives who've railed against Bud Light in response to Bud Light's ad campaign featuring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
The ad sparked a backlash among some conservatives, with the hashtag #BoycottBudLight trending on Twitter as many complained that Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, had gone too far in its support of the LGBTQ+ community at a time when Republicans are pushing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation nationwide.
Critics of Bud Light have alleged that Bud Light is now no longer a product intended for "real men" and will "turn" people LGBTQ+, which prompted Sims to respond with the following message:
"I remember my pre-Bud Light days so well. The axe body spray, all that Smash Mouth, mandles, my favorite cargos, the work sweatshirts, and all that ESPN."
"Bro, it was dope."
Sims' post included a photo of him from his high school football player days.
You can see Sims' post below.
\u201cI remember my pre-Bud Light days so well. The axe body spray, all that Smash Mouth, mandles, my favorite cargos, the work sweatshirts, and all that ESPN. Bro, it was dope. #GayNow #ThanksBudLight\u201d— Brian Sims (@Brian Sims) 1681480459
Sims' post quickly went viral—and prompted many to issue their own posts mocking the conservative outrage.
\u201c@BrianSimsPA Growing up, I was completely normal. \nUntil one day, in junior high, I tried a sip of bud light. \nI didn\u2019t like the taste, but from that moment, I changed. I was more interested in the tight pants of the players than the scores of the games. #Gaynow \n\nAlso, Thanks, Obama.\u201d— Brian Sims (@Brian Sims) 1681480459
\u201c@BrianSimsPA I did wrestling, baseball, volleyball, tennis, golf, softball, and Civil Air Patrol drill squad for I was younger. Then I had one sip of Bud Light at the age of 14 and BOOM! 100% homosexual!!\n\n#GayNow #ThanksBudLight\u201d— Brian Sims (@Brian Sims) 1681480459
\u201c@BrianSimsPA It's true. I never realized I was trans or a lesbian before I drank a Bud Light. \n\nI'm sure at some point I have. Dude I went to Penn State I drank A LOT\u201d— Brian Sims (@Brian Sims) 1681480459
\u201c@BrianSimsPA I remember my straight days well. Then one Saturday afternoon a friend said, let\u2019s go to drag time story hour. I didn\u2019t know better. They served all us kids budlight and it was bam, instantly gay.\u201d— Brian Sims (@Brian Sims) 1681480459
\u201c@BrianSimsPA I once drank both a bud and a whiskey & coke - one in each hand at the same time & BAM! Bisexual af.\n\nwhoopsiedaisies!\ud83e\udd37\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\ud83e\udd23\u201d— Brian Sims (@Brian Sims) 1681480459
\u201c@BrianSimsPA Was it one sip or did you have to drink a few for the transformation? \ud83e\udd23\u201d— Brian Sims (@Brian Sims) 1681480459
\u201c@BrianSimsPA I only had one bud light in college\u2026 little did i know that it would cause me to have a gay baby\u2026 a little known side effect!!! \ud83d\ude31\nShe\u2019s a super cool 17 year old now who just registered to vote!! Maybe we need to go see a drag show in philly!!! \u2764\ufe0f\u2764\ufe0f\u2764\ufe0f\u201d— Brian Sims (@Brian Sims) 1681480459
\u201c@BrianSimsPA Bought some #BudLight\u202f\u202f\u202f last week from my LGBTQ welcoming @TheBeerStoreON here in Canada. Instant gay. I was gay before, of course, just extra gay now. Lol.\u201d— Brian Sims (@Brian Sims) 1681480459
Mulvaney, who gained fame on TikTok for her Day 365 Of Girlhood video series, was sent a personalized can of Bud Light with her face on it to commemorate a year since she began her gender transition.
However, the partnership has drawn criticism from bigoted social media users, who have called for a boycott of the brand and its parent company.
Earlier this month, musician Kid Rock sparked outrage on social media after posting a video of himself shooting cases of Bud Light beer in protest against the company's collaboration with Mulvaney.
Anheuser-Busch has defended its collaboration with Mulvaney, stating that the personalized can was sent as a "gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public."
The company also said that it works with "hundreds of influencers" across its brands "as one of many ways to connect with audiences across various demographics."
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