Garth Brooks.Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty
Garth Brookswon’t back down when it comes to inclusivity.
After the country star, 61, said atBillboardCountry Liveduring CMA Fest in Nashville last week that heintends to sell Bud Light at his Nashville barfollowing transphobic backlash the brand received for its social media partnership with trans influencerDylan Mulvaney, he’s now breaking down his reasoning even further.
During a press conference on Thursday — where he announced a new station on his SEVENS Radio Network on TuneIn Radio — Brooks revealed that he’s “always been inclusive,” and that’s not changing forhis new bar, Friends In Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk.
“I think if you know Garth Brooks, no matter how long you’ve known him, [he’s] always been inclusive. We’re gonna need each other, trust me,” Brooks said, perEntertainment Tonight. “It’s like when we put this team together for The BIG 615 [station]. You’re gonna need all these different talents.”
“So I think that, [with regards to] diversity, inclusiveness, I think what you find is our differences are our greatest strengths,” he said, according to the outlet.
As Brooks also explained in a recent Facebook Live video this week of diversity, “That’s me.”
“I think diversity is the answer to the problems that are here and the answer to the problems that are coming,” he said. “So, I love diversity. All are welcome. I understand that might not be other people’s opinions, but that’s OK, man. They have their opinions, they have their beliefs. I have mine.”
And as a bar owner, Brooks made it clear that he’s going to have “the most popular beers” available for his customers.
“It’s not our call if we don’t or not, it’s the patrons' call. The bosses, right? Bring em' in there. If they don’t want it… [they’ll] say your stuff’s not selling. And then action is taken, right? But the truth is, it’s those people in those seats that make those decisions. And that’s what Friends In Low Places is going to be.”
“So here’s the deal, man. If you want to come to Friends In Low Places, come in. Come in with love. Come in with tolerance. Come in with patience. Come in with an open mind. And it’s cool. And if you’re one of those people that just can’t do that, I get it. If you ever are one of those people that wanna try, come.”
Garth Brooks; Bud Light.getty (2)
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Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth reportedly issued astatementto several outlets, writing that the brand “never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people.” Mulvaney herself responded to the backlash in asocial media video: “Dehumanization has never fixed anything in history ever,” she said.
As Brooks' explained last week, he wants his new bar to be a “place you feel safe in.”
“It’s not our decision to make," he added, before offering advice to any potential patrons: “Our thing is this: If you [are let] into this house, love one another. If you’re an assh—, there are plenty of other places on lower Broadway.”
source: people.com
