DeSantis seeks review of Florida’s holdings in Bud Light maker over transgender influencer backlash

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This article was published 21/07/2023 (878 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Presidential candidate and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis wants Florida to investigate its investments in the company that makes Bud Light because of conservative backlash over a transgender social media influencer marketing the beverage.

DeSantis said Thursday in a letter to the State Board of Administration that “all options are on the table” in its response to Dylan Mulvaney’s Instagram post of a video of her opening a Bud Light with her face on the can.

The governor said that due to the the backlash over the post, Anheuser-Busch InBev has suffered sales losses that could affect state investments. He added that the beer manufacturer’s “radical social ideologies” have turned Bud Light into a “social pariah” and losses have been “staggering.”

DeSantis has previously made headlines by battling Walt Disney World over its opposition to a Florida law banning discussion of gender identity and sexuality orientation in schools, and has targeted other companies that promote social issues that don’t match his beliefs.

DeSantis, who sits on the adminstration board, asked its executive director, Lamar Taylor, to review the state’s holdings, questioning whether they violate Florida law, and suggested a shareholder action may be needed against the company.

“We must prudently manage the funds of Florida’s hardworking law enforcement officers, teachers, firefighters and first responders in a manner that focuses on growing returns, not subsidizing an ideological agenda through woke virtue signaling,” DeSantis wrote.

Anheuser-Busch InBev didn’t immediately respond to an email requesting comment.