CNN has faced significant backlash for misgendering transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney during a segment about their controversial partnership with Bud Light.
CNN correspondent Ryan Young referred to Mulvaney using the pronouns “he” and “him,” despite Mulvaney’s preferred identifiers being “she” and “they.” Young also mispronounced Mulvaney’s first name during the broadcast, furthering media outrage.
This mishap quickly garnered attention, with Media Matters critic Ari Drennen calling out the segment as an “unbelievably bad CNN segment.” CNN was accused of delivering “despicably poor journalism,” and viewers expressed their disappointment over the misgendering. CNN’s failure to correct the incorrect pronouns during the segment added to the criticism.
In response to the backlash, CNN apologized for the errors on a following episode of “News Central.” Host Kate Bolduan addressed the issue by stating, “She was mistakenly referred to by the wrong pronoun, and CNN aims to honor individuals’ ways of identifying themselves and we apologize for that error.” However, neither Bolduan nor Young directly addressed the misgendering in the apology segment.
This incident unfolded amidst one of the more recent incidents in the culture wars, sparked by Mulvaney’s partnership with Bud Light, which has caused a significant drop in the beer brand’s sales. Mulvaney, who has since left the US due to safety concerns, has not yet commented on CNN’s gaffe.
