Anheuser-Busch political donations prompted Stonewall Inn to ban certain beers

The owners of the Stonewall Inn have said they will not serve certain beers at the famous LGBTQ bar over the Pride Weekend to protest maker Anheuser-Busch’s political contributions to some politicians who have backed anti-LGBTQ legislation.

Co-owners Stacy Lentz and Kurt Kelly said they would institute the ban on Friday in support of the “Keep Your Pride” campaign, a recently launched effort highlighting five companies that the campaign says are announcing their support during the campaign. pride, but have also made contributions to lawmakers the campaign said to promote anti-LGBTQ policies.

The campaign, a project of Corporate Accountability Action, used data compiled by the National Institute on Money in Politics to show that Anheuser-Busch paid more than $ 35,000 to 29 lawmakers he described as anti-LGBTQ between 2015 and 2020.

“We just felt Stonewall had the platform, the power to do it, it was important to stand up,” Lentz said. “We really want Anheuser-Busch to stop donating to lawmakers trying to legalize discrimination.”

In a statement, Anheuser-Busch said, “We support candidates for public office whose political positions and goals support investment in our communities, job creation and industry growth.

The company statement continued, “Together, with our brands, we have a clear role to play in bringing about real change and creating an inclusive and fair world where we cherish and celebrate each other. “

It was during a previous incarnation of the Stonewall Inn in June 1969, when bar patrons clashed with police who had come to carry out a raid, which galvanized gay rights activism in the country and in the world. New York’s first Gay Pride took place a year later, with the annual tradition continuing more than half a century later this Sunday.