Fox News Faces Boycott Over Alleged Pride Support: 'Bud Light Treatment'

A number of conservative commentators are calling for Fox News to be boycotted following claims the company has promoted groups to its employees which provide or promote transgender medical treatments for children. The broadcaster is also alleged to be encouraging staff to sign up for Eskalera, an AI-powered program that produces a "diversity index."

The claims were made by Matt Walsh, a right-wing writer and documentary maker who focuses on transgender issues. One prominent conservative Twitter account called for Fox News to "get the Bud Light treatment" in response.

Conservative activists have launched boycott campaigns aimed at a number of companies over the past few months, in retaliation for their stance on LGBTQ+-related issues. Most prominently Bud Light was boycotted after partnering with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney, to celebrate the one-year anniversary of her transitioning.

Walsh published screenshots of what he claimed are LGBTQ+ Pride Month materials provided to Fox News employees by Fox Corporation, the broadcaster's parent company, via its employee portal.

Newsweek has not independently verified that the material Walsh lists is available on the Fox portal and reached out to Fox News via email for comment.

Walsh commented on Twitter: "We've obtained internal docs from Fox News employees. Fox Corp is celebrating Pride by encouraging employees to read about 'glory holes,' supporting a group that gives sterilizing hormones to homeless youth, & deployed woke AI to monitor everyone."

Walsh alleged that Fox News employees are encouraged to donate to the LGBTQ+ non-profits Ali Forney Center, Los Angeles LGBT Center, and The Trevor Project.

The Ali Forney Center provides "transfeminine and transmasculine" treatments to "clients ages 16-20," according to its website. Walsh shared a screenshot from the Los Angeles LGBT Center's Twitter account which shows a mother surprising her "trans daughter" with her first "first dose of hormones."

The portal also reportedly promotes The Trevor Project, which a New York Post investigation alleged has helped transgender identifying children buy breast binders without their parents' knowledge. The Trevor Project is a group that provides support to LGBTQ+ youth. Its mission is to "end suicide among LGBTQ young people," according to its website.

On Twitter, Walsh went on to say the Fox portal promotes a rainbow-themed children's book about a character coming out as a unicorn and that leadership has encouraged employees to sign up for Eskalera, an AI program that will boost their "understanding of identity" and which produces a "diversity index."

Walsh's claims seem contradictory to anti-LGBTQ+ content that Fox News has been accused of promoting over the years. Tucker Carlson, a star on the network until his employment was terminated in April, said on air in March that transgender "ideology" is "a cancer on the country." He also suggested that teachers who discuss gender identity with children "should be arrested" and "beaten up."

Walsh's "End Wokeness," an influential right-wing Twitter account with more than 1.3 million followers, tweeted: "This story is insane. It's time for Fox News to get the Bud Light treatment."

Another Twitter user joined the fray, referencing a conservative boycott campaign of Target after it sold products aimed at children for Pride Month.

They wrote: "TO HELL WITH BUD LIGHT AND TARGET. THE NUMBER ONE COMPANY THAT EVERY SINGLE CONSERVATIVE MUST BOYCOTT IS @FoxNews. NO EXCUSES NONE."

Responding to the boycott calls, Walsh tweeted: "Lots of conservatives speaking out, even just in the last hour or two. I think the dam is really breaking for Fox. This is truly their Bud Light moment."

The campaign was criticized by independent journalist Aaron Rupar, who shared a screenshot of one of Walsh's tweets, adding: "Imagine trying to process this even a year ago. Fox News and Bud Light are right-wing enemies? It's just utter nuttiness, the fruit of a tragicomical brand of bigotry masquerading as politics."

A Quinnipiac University poll published this month found 58 percent of Americans think anti-LGBTQ+ prejudice is a problem, with 33 percent describing it as "very serious" for the country.