Grills owner in Brevard, Orlando pulls Bud Light: ‘God is telling me to take a stand’

Editor's note (June 27): On June 9, Brian Loeffel posted a Facebook apology to the owner and employees of Grills Seafood Deck and Tiki Bar for a his April 14 post in a Rockledge community Facebook group. In the apology, Loeffel said "at no time" did he hear a Grills employee use an offensive slur about gay people. Loeffel did not respond to a request for a comment about the follow-up post, which was on his personal page.

After more than a week of prayer, Joe Penovich made what he said was a difficult decision. On Friday, the owner of Grills Seafood Deck & Tiki Bar locations at Port Canaveral, Melbourne and Orlando removed Bud Light from his restaurants.

"I have to do what I believe God is telling me to do," he said Monday morning.

The decision came in response to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney posting an Instagram video of herself drinking Bud Light, talking about the beer's March Madness contest and showing off a Bud Light can with her face on it. The can was sent to Mulvaney, who has been documenting her journey to become a woman on TikTok, to celebrate the 365-day milestone of her transition. It was never available to the public.

Now Penovich is defending his decision, his restaurants and his staff after a Friday evening Facebook post in a Rockledge community group by Brian Loeffel, who said he watched as Bud Light at Grills at the port was thrown in the trash and a the bar manager made an offensive comment about gay people. That post, which Penovich said was not true, triggered an outpouring of disgust, anger — and support — on social media from members of Brevard's LGBTQ community.

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Some samples:

(shout out) to all the homophobic people that ar coming out. WE SEE YOU & YOUR BUSINESSES / affiliations, too

I don't agree with how he handled it or said but it's a free country.... don't go there...

I am still asking the question “How does this hurt you?” How does the picture of a influencer on a beer can hurt you?

Lost my business

Penovich said while Grills no longer offers Bud Light, name-calling and hate speech are not part of the culture of his businesses.

"Myself, management and our employees are devastated by the fact that this post deeply hurt members of the gay community and our employees that we have cared about and treated with the same non-judgmental respect we have given everyone for over 25 years," he wrote in a letter posted on Grills' social media accounts Monday afternoon.

Penovich said he has reached out to Loeffel so they can sit down and discuss the allegations. FLORIDA TODAY also reached out to Loeffel, but received no response.

Space Coast Pride, an organization that works to foster a sense of community among Brevard's LGBTQ+ community, offered this statement Monday: "Space Coast Pride stands in solidarity with the Transgender and LGBTQIA+ Community today and always, but we do not have any comment on how private businesses express themselves."

"It's really crazy. I've never been exposed to something like this, even during the vax letter days," Penovich said, referring to the public response in fall 2021 when he said he would not make his employees get COVID vaccinations.

"We have nothing but love in our hearts for the gay community," said Penovich, who describes himself as deeply religious. "We're not called to judge those who don't see things our way ... This makes me so angry and sad, but I believe Jesus is the way to mental health."

He's spent a lot of time praying the past two weeks, he said.

"And it wasn't a simple prayer," Penovich said. "I wept for Dylan Mulvaney. We're seeing this in younger and younger children. It's going to do so much damage to so many kids."

Dozens of bills restricting access to gender-affirming therapies for patients younger than 18 have been proposed across the nation in recent years. Florida has banned gender-affirming care for new patients under 18. Existing patients can continue their treatment. However, there is legislation moving through the state legislature that would ban gender-affirming care for new and existing patients.

The trend toward restrictions and bans prompted major medical groups like the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association to issue statements opposing such legislation and affirming support for the treatments. Some transgender people are diagnosed with gender dysphoria, the psychological distress that can occur when one’s gender doesn’t align with their sex assigned at birth. That distress can include suicidal ideation, which is why many experts and advocates say gender-affirming care is medically necessary and potentially life-saving.

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Penovich said he can't align with that way of thinking, and that he has trouble supporting a corporation he feels might encourage children to seek surgery that would change their gender.

"... There is a lie being levied that we and other Christians hate Dylan Mulvaney and the gay community," Penovich wrote in the Facebook letter. "Nothing could be further from the truth in our hearts and minds. Our decision was made with many tears for this circumstance and what we see as corporate greed and a deeper spiritual reality coming upon this world."

Grills owner said he disapproves of Kid Rock's video

He said he had no intention of making a production of pulling the beer. It was carried out of the Grills bars Friday afternoon. He doesn't agree with what he calls the "inflammatory rhetoric" of notable conservatives like Kid Rock have had to Bud Light. The outspoken rocker posted a video of himself shooting a case of the beer and spouting expletives.

Brendan Whitworth, CEO of Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light's parent company, released a statement on social media Friday saying the company “never meant to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”

Penovich plans to continue praying for guidance, he said, and he's working on a plan to remove all Anheuser-Busch products from Grills, starting with umbrellas and promotional items. Anheuser-Busch owns more than 100 brands, including Michelob, Stella Artois, Landshark and Shock Top.

"We don't have any illusions of putting financial harm on Anheuser-Busch," Penovich said, "but we're concerned about hurting our local distributor."

Going forward, he said, he would like to replace Anheuser-Busch products with local craft brews.

Penovich said he knows this decision could impact his business, but he feels strongly about standing up for his own beliefs.

"This is difficult for everyone, but it's a discussion that needs to be had," he said. "I feel so strongly that God is telling me to take a stand. I'm going to have to deal with the consequences."

Suzy Fleming Leonard is a features journalist with more than three decades of experience. Reach her at sleonard@floridatoday.com. Find her on Facebook: @SuzyFlemingLeonard or on Instagram: @SuzyLeonard. 

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Grills: Bud Light removed from Florida chain after trans star's post