Dylan Mulvaney thanks fans after hateful transphobic backlash: ‘We’re all just trying our best here, aren’t we?’
Dylan Mulvaney has recently celebrated ‘365 Days of Girlhood’ (Roy Rochlin/Getty)
Trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney has thanked her fans in a beautiful Instagram video after a week characterised by transphobic hatred – simply because as a trans woman, she had the temerity to partner with two brands.
Mulvaney shared a clip to her social media channels on Saturday (8 April) from her 365 Days Live! event in March. It shows the TikTok sensation singing Stephen Sondheim’s “No One Is Alone,” from 1987 musical Into The Woods – and offering a powerful message of unity and celebration of “uniqueness”.
Mulvaney, a social media star and Broadway actor best known for her “days of girlhood” TikTok series, faced a tide of hateful backlash from transphobes and right-wing groups after receiving a single Bud Light can with her face on it and sharing photos of herself wearing Nike leggings and a sports bra.
Her personalised Bud Light can saw right-wing snowflakes promising to boycott the beer company, with musician Kid Rock even filming himself shooting a bunch of Bud Lights in a viral tantrum video.
And then, when Mulvaney shared a paid partnership post on Instagram where she wears a pair of Nike Women’s leggings and sports bra, the transphobic hatred became even more intense.
Right-wing news outlets pounced on the story, with GB News running a segment on Thursday (6 April) that misgendered Mulvaney and featured Olympian Sharron Davies slamming Nike for partnering with a trans woman.
Davies wasted no time in praising World Athletics and Swim England for imposing bans on trans athletes and criticising Mulvaney – who is not a professional athlete and has never professed to be one – for looking “un-athletic” in her Instagram ad.
Republican and former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner – who is also a trans woman – even got in on the act, sharing her “outrage” at Nike’s “woke” antics on Twitter.
However, Mulvaney’s posts on Saturday show a woman living her best life and thankful for the support of fans.
In the clip from her 365 Days Live! event, celebrating Mulvaney’s one year anniversary of transitioning, she says: “Whether you’re a parent or a child, or you’re young, or you’re old, or you’re trans, or you’re not. We’re all just trying our best here, aren’t we?
“And the most important thing is that we have the people in our lives to support us and celebrate our uniqueness. And that could be a mental health care professional or a teacher or a loved one, so long as we don’t feel alone.”
On Instagram, where Mulvaney has 1.8 million followers, the clip is captioned: “It’s hard to see the light now, just don’t let it go ❤️ this song felt fitting for the week I’ve been having. All is well!”
The influencer also added “cheers” with a clinking beer glass emoji, perhaps in a cheeky nod to all the haters who simply couldn’t deal with her receiving a personalised Bud Light can.
On TikTok, where her follower count has reached 10.8 million, she wrote: “Thank you all for making me feel supported, I am not alone.”
On Friday, Nike also responded to the flood of transphobic hate sparked by Mulvaney wearing its workout gear, by encouraging fans to “be kind” in an Instagram comment.
Nike wrote: ”You are an essential component to the success of your community! We welcome comments that contribute to a positive and constructive discussion: Be kind [heart emoji] Be inclusive [heart emoji] Encourage each other [heart emoji]
“Hate speech, bullying, or other behaviours that are not in the spirit of a diverse and inclusive community will be deleted.”
