A transgender former WWE wrestler has told Newsweek she understands why some people may feel the need to boycott companies such as Bud Light and Target.
Gabbi Tuft said that some people felt transgender issues were being "shoved in their face," making them uncomfortable, and that there might be other ways to better support the LGBTQ+ community.
Bud Light was recently hit by a boycott following its decision to partner with Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender activist and influencer. Tuft, 44, told Newsweek on Thursday that she knows Mulvaney personally and didn't initially realize that the partnership involved only one beer can that Mulvaney received and posted on her Instagram.
"I thought, me personally, [Bud Light] put it out in stores but it never happened and so that I understand, I'm like, 'OK, now I can see how that got blown out of proportion,'" Tuft said. "But, I can also see how there are a lot of people out there who might feel like the transgender issues might be being shoved in their face and they might not want to see it anywhere and I can understand that."
Over the past several months, transgender rights have remained a topic of conversation with many conflicting views on both sides of the aisle. In terms of sports, many conservatives disagree with transgender women competing in female sports categories and some professional sports recently passed new policies banning this. Additionally, the boycott of Bud Light and Target for its LGBTQ+ items sold during Pride Month sparked a wave of criticism against transgender individuals, such as Mulvaney.
As many conservatives called for a boycott of Bud Light beginning in April, the beer brand saw a drop in sales prices and was criticized by many prominent officials, such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Tuft, who is now an online fitness and nutrition coach, said that "people just want to live their lives and they feel as though something new is coming into their space and it's uncomfortable."
She went on to praise companies that support the LGBTQ+ community but noted that there may be different ways of doing so to make others feel more comfortable.
"Maybe there's a different way we have to look at that. If there are people who are feeling like, 'Hey, I don't want this shoved in my face' and I go, 'OK, how do we show our support without making people feel like it is being shoved in their face.'
"I don't think I have the solution but I always am one to ask questions," Tuft said.
Tuft made her transition to a woman around the summer of 2020 but said that she considers herself "politically purple."
"I always say that it's hard to get aligned with either side. There are issues on both sides that I can't fully align with and there's reasons, politics is very dividing and I feel like it's such a shame we can't have a cordial adult conversation anymore and it just ends up in arguments and hatred toward the other person," she said.
Tuft made her professional wrestling debut in 2007 and retired in 2014.
Update, 09/01/23, 6:10 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional background information.
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