Actor, TikTok star, and transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney is speaking out after making headlines last week with news of her recent brand partnerships.
For the past week, right-wing consumers made their dissatisfaction over various brands partnering with Mulvaney.
The 26-year-old recently appeared on an episode of Rosie O’Donnell’s podcast, Onward with Rosie O’Donnell where she spoke out about the hate she has been receiving.
“I have tried to be the most uncontroversial person this past year, and somehow it has made me controversial still,” she said. “It’s so sad because everything I try to put out is positive, it’s trying to connect with others [who] maybe don’t understand me. It’s to make people laugh, or to make a kid feel seen.”
Mulvaney received major backlash when she posted an ad for new Nike Women’s sportswear apparel to her Instagram.
Caitlyn Jenner, in response to the news, slammed Nike for turning “woke” for its sponsorship deal, saying: "It is a shame to see such an iconic American company go so woke!" Jenner wrote on Twitter. "We can be inclusive but not at the expense of the mass majority of people, and have some decency while being inclusive. This is an outrage."
Later, country musician and open Trump supporter Kid Rock posted a bizarre video of himself shooting at a case of Bud Light when Mulvaney posted content in partnership with the beer brand. Beer cans even featured images of Mulvaney’s face to celebrate their collaboration together.
O’Donnell herself denounced Rock’s message, saying in the introduction to the podcast, “Kid Rock had to take an assault weapon and shoot the boxes of beer, proving what?”
“This is not the first time. Who do you think sponsors pride?” O’Donnell said about LGBTQ+ friendly beer companies. “Gay people, trans people, we drink beer too, man. Put down your gun, Kid Rock, it’s in bad taste.”
Famed radio and television personality Howard Stern also came to the defense of Mulvaney when he commented on Kid Rock’s actions.
“I’m not bothered by gay people or transsexual people. They don’t impact my life, they don’t hurt my life. I love when people are in love. You wanna be a woman? Be a woman. You wanna be a dude, be a dude. Be whatever you f—ing want. As long as you ain’t hurting anybody, I’m on your team.”
“I wish I could call Kid Rock and have him come on the show and just tell me ‘Why are you so upset about this? How is it hurtful?’ I don’t know why he got so upset,” Stern continued.
Despite the hate, Mulvaney promises to continue to fight for representation and change. She told O’Donnell “It’s been very odd to compare the two, my transition as well as all this anti-trans legislation simultaneously.”
“It’s gotten so bad, to the point… with all these bills, that we just have to stay alive,” she told O’Donnell. “This is the time for not only straight people, but we need that alphabet to show up for us. It’s all hands on deck. It is not a time to sit idle.”
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