First, it was Hershey’s, then it was Bud Light, and now, Jack Daniel’s is the latest brand this year to be facing a boycott over claims the company has “gone woke.”

Social media users have taken offense to the whiskey brewer’s “small town, big pride” campaign in which it teamed up with drag queens from Ru Paul’s Drag Race—despite the campaign being nearly two years old.

The row over LGBTQ+ brand ambassadors is symbolic of a wider debate about drag shows and their exposure to children. Critics have expressed concerns over Drag Queen Story Hour, readings for children by drag performers at libraries. Tennessee, Jack Daniel’s home state, was the first to pass a drag show ban in the presence of children over concerns about their sexualized content. The law has since been temporarily blocked by a federal judge.

Jack Daniels said in June 2021 that it had teamed up with three drag queens from the hit TV show to produce a series of videos called Drag Queen Summer Glamp, which was released during pride month. It features the participants completing challenges around the company’s Lynchburg, Tennessee, distillery.

The whiskey makers said at the time that it was “a bold new experience—for both the queens and their hosts,” while Lauren Richmond, then-brand manager for Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire, noted the campaign “reaffirms our commitment to the LGBTQ+ community” despite being an “unexpected partnership.”

“Jack Daniel’s gets drag culture—which is all about celebrating individuality and inviting others to accept you as you are,” Trinity the Tuck, one of the drag queens involved in the campaign, said in a statement.

“This is how Pride should be celebrated: with friends—new and old—in a place you would never expect,” said Manila Luzon, another participant.

Since then, the episodes and other promotional material have been available on the company’s website, which says: “Jack Fire and Pride go together like cinnamon and whiskey.”

Despite the campaign being publicized for 22 months, Jack Daniel’s support for the LGBTQ+ community is receiving fresh scrutiny now transgender rights and liberties are a key issue of contention in the culture wars.

Benny Johnson, a political columnist and official with Turning Point U.S.A. non-profit, wrote on April 5 that Jack Daniel’s had “gone full woke,” adding: “This is a *good* business move since Jack Daniels is only ordered by the mentally ill already.”

Travis Tritt, a country singer-songwriter, tweeted that drinkers of the whiskey “should take note,” along with one of the promotional images of the campaign.

“Are you freaking kidding me!?” one user wrote. “Time to leave their products on the store shelves.” Another said: “Jack Daniels you just lost a loyal drinker, never again.”

While some other users noted that the “anti-cancel culture crew” had “ignored” the campaign for nearly two years, another told the boycotters: “You’re going to learn that gay and trans people like alcohol too, and they [have] got a lot more money.”

When asked to comment, a spokesperson for Jack Daniel’s told Newsweek that the company’s products were “made with everyone in mind, including the LGBTQ+ community. As a longtime champion of the LGBTQ+ community, Jack Daniel’s celebrates individuality and living life boldly on your own terms.”

In addition to the recent drag show bans, transgender rights in the U.S. continue to be a deeply polarizing issue. A 2022 survey by the Pew Research Center found that 38 percent of Americans believe society had gone “too far in accepting” transgender people, while 36 percent said it had not gone “far enough.”

The calls for a boycott of Jack Daniel’s follow a similar social media outrage at Bud Light after the beer firm partnered with transgender influencer and activist Dylan Mulvaney. Bud Light’s parent company told Newsweek that it was part of a drive to “authentically connect with audiences across various demographics.”

Chocolate makers Hershey’s also faced a similar response to an advertising campaign in February, after including a transgender rights activist’s face on special chocolate bar wrappers in Canada for International Women’s Day. Detractors decried the move as “a slap in the face” for “actual” women while others supported the inclusion, hoping it would inspire young people.

Update 04/06/23, 10:32 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from a Jack Daniel’s spokesperson.

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