Several St. Louis businesses have announced plans to boycott Anheuser-Busch after the beer giant pulled its 30-year sponsorship of St. Louis PrideFest this week.
Greenfinch Theater and Dive, a performance space and bar on South Jefferson Avenue, announced it would no longer carry Anheuser-Busch drinks in light of the decision. The business plans to sell the remaining A-B products in its inventory and donate 25% of the proceeds to the Metro Trans Umbrella Group.
"That's a really active decision, especially in today's political climate where so many traditionally marginalized communities are seeing protections they have being challenged," said Bradley Rohlf, Greenfinch co-owner, of the sponsorship cut. "We're sitting here like: 'Well, our friends are gay, and we love them. So we're not going to support this company.’”
Greenfinch is not alone. Rehab Bar and Grill and Platypus in the Grove, the Improv Shop in Botanical Heights, and Bar:PM in Carondelet have also announced plans to phase out and stop selling products made by AB InBev. Anheuser-Busch’s parent company has its U.S. headquarters in St. Louis.
For decades, the beer giant has been a cornerstone sponsor of St. Louis PrideFest, an annual festival and parade celebrating the LGBTQ community.
Pride St. Louis President Marty Zuniga said A-B didn’t give a reason for the change. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"The fact that Anheuser-Busch took their support away from us 30 years later and [during] the time when we need them the most is the most devastating part," he said. “That's the part that stings. […] We are your local community. This is a homegrown beer. This is a homegrown beverage. We're your homegrown Pride.”
Zuniga emphasized that Pride St. Louis is more than the annual free summer festival and parade in downtown St. Louis. The nonprofit offers classes, provides meals around the holidays and has a scholarship program for LGBTQ students.
"These dollars have an impact in this community,” he said. “That's what hurts the most when you see our partners not willing to support this community.”
Kenny Marks, owner of Kenny's Upstairs on South Grand, said the move wasn’t surprising given AB InBev’s past actions.
In 2023, Bud Light faced fierce backlash from conservatives after collaborating with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Some Missouri Republican legislators posted a now-deleted video showing them destroying cans of Bud Light in front of the state Capitol in protest.
“They're giving in to louder voices who speak loudly about homophobia and thinking that is going to affect their bottom line,” said Marks, who is transgender. “When it was like cool and trendy to be in the political environment — to be supportive — they had no problem, but the moment it turns … it just shows that it wasn't even about the queer community to begin with.”
Kenny’s Upstairs has already begun selling off its remaining Busch Light stock at reduced prices for the queer community, and the bar plans to stop carrying A-B products altogether once the inventory runs out.
"Boycotting is the root of change," Marks said. "You might have just that person who stops buying it, too, and it is going to make a dent."
While a single business boycott may seem small, Rolfe said the growing number of St. Louisans joining in shows something bigger: a community willing to support each other.
"We have to see that power in community, see that power in collective action," he said. "It’s very likely that a handful of small businesses making a statement and standing together is going to be a great encouragement to the overall community."
Pride St. Louis launched #45for45 this week, a campaign to help bridge the gap left by reductions in sponsorships, including from A-B. Zuniga said the group is roughly a third of the way to its goal and is heartened by the community support.
“People are ready to show their activism,” he said. "That's what's so surprising and overwhelming to me … that our community is willing to rally behind us in this time of need.”
This story has been updated.
