Zach Bryan spoke out on social media over the weekend regarding the culture clash within country music over Bud Light teaming with a trans activist for its latest campaign.
“I mean no disrespect towards anyone specifically, I don’t even mind @travistritt,” the country star tweeted on Saturday (April 8). “I just think insulting transgender people is completely wrong because we live in a country where we can all just be who we want to be It’s a great day to be alive I thought.”
The “Something in Orange” singer specifically mentioned Travis Tritt in the wake of the country veteran vowing to remove Bud Light and all other Anheuser-Busch products from his tour rider over the trans-inclusive partnership, which features Dylan Mulvaney. (The last line in his tweet was also a reference to Tritt’s 2000 hit “It’s a Great Day to Be Alive.”)
Bryan then went on to add a follow-up tweet to his original thought, writing, “And yo I don’t support transgender people attacking swimmers I just have family transitioning and have blood to defend here No one threaten me pls.”
Ahead of Bryan’s tweet, former college swimmer Riley Gaines had claimed she was “physically assaulted” and “ambushed” by protestors while on the campus of San Francisco State University on Thursday, April 6. She was at the school to share her opposition to including transgender athletes in women’s sports, CNN reported.
While responses to Bryan were mixed, many fans appreciated the singer’s defense of the trans community. “Zach stand up for what you believe in. That is what country music has always been about. Those who don’t get it don’t matter,” one wrote while another commented, “I don’t have blood to defend bro. But I have humanity to defend. I loved you so much and knowing this is the stance you take? Knowing there’s an artist who’s music I can relate to that also stand for humanity is so refreshing.”
Some others took issue with his choice of words, however, tweeting responses such as, “You should support marginalized, persecuted human beings of every walk of life because it’s the right thing to do, not just because they are family. But that’s the only way sometimes bigoted people are motivated to step up, so good for you I guess.”
Before Tritt spoke out about his boycott of Anheuser-Busch products, Kid Rock shared his disdain for the company’s campaign with Mulvaney. In a video posted April 3 on his Instagram account, the rap-rocker opened fire on three cases of Bud Light.
Read Bryan’s statements on Twitter below.
