Stonewall Inn to pour Bud Light down the drain in Anheuser-Busch protest
The owners of the Stonewall Inn in New York say they will not serve some beers at the famous LGBTQ+ bar during Pride weekend – and will ceremonially pour some down a drain – to protest against manufacturer AnheuserBusch’s political contributions to some politicians who have supported antiLGBTQ+ legislation.
In June 1969, at an earlier incarnation of the Stonewall Inn, bar patrons fought with police who had come to carry out a raid, galvanizing gay rights activism around the US and the world.
This year, co-owners Stacy Lentz and Kurt Kelly said they would be instituting the ban on Friday in support of the “Keep Your Pride” campaign, a recently launched effort highlighting five companies it says advertise support during Pride but have also made contributions to anti-LGBTQ+ lawmakers.
The campaign, a project of Corporate Accountability Action, used data compiled from the National Institute on Money in Politics to show that Anheuser-Busch contributed more than $35,000 to 29 legislators it described as anti-LGBTQ+ between 2015 and 2020.
“We just felt Stonewall having the platform, the power to do this, it was important to stand up,” Lentz said. “We really just want Anheuser-Busch to stop donating to lawmakers who are trying to legalize discrimination.”
More than 250 LGBTQ+-related bills have been introduced in state legislatures this year, with 18 signed into law, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
The majority of the laws passed restrict trans children from competing in sports, while others ban medical care for trans youth and allow parents to opt their children out of LGBTQ+-related subjects in school.
Supporters of the laws have said they want to protect the rights of girls and women in schools’ sports and prevent young people from taking medical decisions they might later regret.
Lentz also said the Stonewall would also stage a “pour-out” protest – involving pouring Stella Artois and Bud Light down the drain – on Wednesday.
“You can’t turn your logo rainbow on social media, call yourself an ally, and then turn around and make donations that fuel hate,” Lentz said in a statement. “There are really no excuses, and companies like Anheuser-Busch need to own up to what they’ve done.”
In a statement, Anheuser-Busch said: “We support candidates for public office whose policy positions and objectives support investments in our communities, job creation and industry growth.”
The statement continued, “Together, with our brands, we have a clear role to play in bringing real change and creating an inclusive and equitable world where we cherish and celebrate one another.”