The saga of Bud Light may be one of the most instructive in recent corporate history. As RedState has reported on extensively, the beer giant has faced immense backlash following a partnership with transgender activist and influencer Dylan Mulvaney. In the aftermath, Bud Light has most recently seen its sales drop 26 percent week over week.

That has represented a sizable blow to parent company Anheuser-Busch, which has sought to distance itself from the drama. Despite a walk-back from the CEO, a patriotic ad campaign, and the two executives behind the Mulvaney circus being put on leave, nothing has really quelled the outrage.

In fact, things are only getting worse for Bud Light. Now, they are facing backlash from the other side of the issue, with gay bars refusing to sell their beer (RedState).

At 2Bears Tavern Uptown, Mark Robertson cracked open a Bud Light, not to drink, but to pour down the drain.

“Unlike what we would expect from Anheuser-Busch, that had a history of supporting LGBTQ events and programing, sponsoring things like pride in Chicago, they chose to side with hate,” Robertson said.

Robertson said Anheuser-Busch should be ashamed of what he says is its lack of conviction and support of his community.

“They have continued to redouble their negative response, and keep saying ‘Oops, we made a mistake. We made a mistake,’ which is essentially saying supporting the LGBTQ community, specifically the ‘T,’ in this case, was a mistake. And, that’s disgusting,” Robertson said. [….]

Now, 2Bears group has removed all traces of Anheuser-Busch products. There are no taps, no beers, and even the Busch name has been covered with electrical tape on the bar. And, trailblazing Northalsted LGBTQ+ bar Sidetrack has also stated online that it is dropping all Anheuser-Busch Products.

It was just a matter of time before this happened. The left never takes a sleight lying down, and there was no world where Bud Light could recalibrate its stance towards gender ideology and not anger a slew of pro-trans activists. You can expect the left-wing boycott of the beer to grow from here.

My question is this: When will companies learn that it does not pay to dabble in controversial social topics?

What exactly did Bud Light even hope to gain by promoting Dylan Mulvaney? Did they think they were going to gain an army of new transgender customers? Somehow, I doubt men who think they are women are very persuadable when it comes to drinking low-quality, frat-boy-grade beer.

Bud Light already had a core customer base. That base was mostly lower-middle-class white people who can’t otherwise justify spending money on higher-quality products. Why not just lean into that success and keep the Clydesdale ads coming? Instead, someone decided to use the company’s clout to promote transgenderism for no conceivable reason at all.

There’s this idea among many major corporations that they must show support for certain lifestyle choices. We see that dynamic play out every June with “pride month.” But no one ever stops to ask why that has to happen. What is a company gaining by turning its logo into the rainbow? Likewise, what is a company gaining by promoting radical gender ideology?

The answer is absolutely nothing. All they are doing is turning off a significant portion of their customer base for no appreciable gain. Yet, the left has convinced corporations to be divisive when all they have to do is keep selling whatever products they produce without a political bent.

In the past, companies have been able to get away with that type of cultural partisanship because the response has been so one-sided. They haven’t been afraid of the right because the right has never made them pay. The success of the Bud Light boycott has changed everything. Now, companies have to actually think before virtue signaling to the far left. It’s no longer a risk-free proposition.

The right isn’t going to take it lying down anymore, and any course correction after the fact will only set off the left. That’s the lesson here if other companies are willing to heed it. Stay out of the political space, and you can keep marketing to both sides unabated. But if you jump in headfirst to promote radicalism, there will be consequences.