Bud Light backs gender inclusivity in new faux-campaign ad

Bud Light's latest commercial pushes it into an arena that few major brands have been willing to enter: The politics of gender identity.

The 30-second spot features brand spokespeople Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen once again stumping for the beer conglomerate's faux-political party -- the running joke of an election-spoof ad campaign Bud Light has been running for months.

This time around, the two comedians want America to know that Bud Light supports every person's gender identity.

"People of all genders," Rogen bellows to a rodeo crowd in the ad.

"But, you know, gender identity -- it's really a spectrum, and we don't need these labels," Schumer adds.

Transgender actor Ian Harvie also makes a brief appearance.

While Bud Light's campaign seemed at first like just another advertiser's anodyne attempt to feed on voter malaise ahead of the election, the brand has shown a surprising willingness to tackle somewhat politically sensitive subjects, like same-sex marriage and the gender pay gap.

But its latest stance takes it beyond those relatively safe topics into an issue that's been a bit of a blindspot for the industry at large.

Even as same-sex couples have become commonplace in commercials and corporations have become increasingly comfortable taking sides on laws like North Carolina's "bathroom bill," only a handful of advertisers -- including Google, Airbnb, Nike and Marriott -- have featured gender identity-related themes in ads.

In fact, Airbnb's chief marketing officer, Jonathan Mildenhall, told Mashable last year that the startup had no trouble buying ad space around Caitlyn Jenner's ESPYs speech because many brands wanted to keep a distance, despite the promise of blockbuster ratings.

That squeamishness is why a major brand's explicit mention of gender identity still makes headlines.

“When a brand like Bud Light shows support for the transgender community, it makes a difference,” Nick Adams, GLAAD’s director of transgender media, said in a statement. “Not only does it help bring more visibility to the trans community, it also inspires other companies to do more to show their support."

The ongoing campaign is the work of Portland-based ad agency Wieden+Kennedy.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.