Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, was recently targeted for employment and hiring practices that allegedly are discriminatory against white people.
America First Legal (AFL), a conservative watchdog organization led by Stephen Miller, a former adviser to former President Donald Trump, announced on Monday a federal civil rights complaint against Anheuser-Busch for what it calls "systemic and discriminatory hiring, promotion, and job-training employment practices."
"Under the cloak of "equity," woke companies like Anheuser-Busch proudly discriminate based on race, color, national origin, and sex in their employment practices," America First Legal said in the announcement, which called on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to launch an investigation.
The announcement said that Anheuser-Busch had a Leadership Accelerator Program that invited "only specific individuals of specified races, colors, and national origin" to apply. However, according to America First Legal, the program excluded white and Asian Americans.
Since the beginning of April, Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light have faced an array of backlash and criticism after the beer company partnered with Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender influencer. Bud Light sent Mulvaney a customized beer can with her face on it to celebrate her popular video series documenting her transition.
Mulvaney recently responded to the backlash and calls to boycott the beer, saying: "The reason I think I'm an easy target is because I'm still new to this. I think going after a trans woman who has been doing this for 20 years is a lot more difficult."
"Maybe they think there's some sort of chance with me that they can—but I mean, what is their goal?" Mulvaney added, while appearing on Rosie O'Donnell's podcast, Onward with Rosie O'Donnell.
The announcement by America First Legal also mentions Bud Light's partnership with Mulvaney, saying: "Notably, the company fails to define what it means by the term 'women.'"
"As the corporation responsible for Bud Light, and as an eager and willing partner with and funder of "transgender activist" and biological male Dylan Mulvaney, it is safe to assume that the company's definition of a woman is not limited to biological females," the announcement said.
Gene Hamilton, America First Legal vice president and general counsel, said that "all racial discrimination is wrong, and race-based employment programs or opportunities are antithetical to the American ideal.
"Equality under the law will never be achieved in the United States if its largest corporations are permitted to engage in blatant discrimination against certain groups of citizens."
In a statement sent to Newsweek, Hamilton said: "Anheuser-Busch is not only promoting a radical transgender agenda that is at odds with the values of their customers, but what's worse is they are apparently engaged in something even more odious, and that's hiring based on race and sex.
"Notably, it appears that Anheuser-Busch has programs that invite individuals of specified races, colors, and national origins to apply while excluding Whites and Asians from these opportunities...Any company engaged in the illegal practice of discriminatory hiring, racially or otherwise, must be held accountable for their egregious violations of the law."
In October 2021, a man was awarded $10 million by a jury in North Carolina, after he filed a lawsuit alleging that he was fired from his job at a hospital for being white. According to NBC News, David Duvall filed a lawsuit against Novant Health Inc. in 2019, accusing the hospital system of firing him because of his race "as part of an intentional campaign to promote diversity in its management ranks."
This month, Brendan Whitworth, the CEO of Anheuser-Busch, issued a statement following criticism and said: "We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.
"Moving forward, I will continue to work tirelessly to bring great beers to consumers across our nation."
Newsweek reached out to Anheuser-Busch via email for further comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more
