Mulvaney said 'it was the hardest year of my life,' when discussing the Bud Light controversy
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Transgender woman and LGBTQ influencer Dylan Mulvaney recently gave a speech at the Penn State HUB-Robeson Center's Alumni Hall—the same location where former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines was expected to speak before scheduling discrepancies with the university.
During the recent event, Mulvaney discussed her love for theater, her difficult relationship with her mother and her decision to transition. She also briefly spoke on this year's massive controversy involving Bud Light.
"It was the hardest year of my life," Mulvaney said, according to Onward State. "My next musical theater dream is to do a production with a lot of trans people on stage."
Mulvaney also spoke about "gender identity" and "gender equity," stressing the importance of treating all people with dignity.
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Dylan Mulvaney held an event at Penn State on December 5 in the same location that Riley Gaines claimed she was scheduled to speak. (Riley Gaines/Emma McIntyre/WireImage/Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
"You're entitled to be treated with respect. I never thought of myself as an activist, and then I got invited to the White House to interview the president," Mulvaney said.
Sporting a Penn State jacket, Mulvaney also led those in the audience in the school's "We Are" chant. However, the event, sponsored by the Penn State Student Programming Association and funded with student fees, drew few attendees.
An image posted on social media by the Young America's Foundation showed the vast majority of seats for the speech empty. It is unclear whether more seats were filled as the event continued.
The speech came a week after Mulvaney was placed on Forbes Magazine's "30 Under 30 Social Media" list for being one of the world's most influential young social media figures.
Alumni Hall at Penn State frequently holds events for notable public figures, sometimes those with controversial views.
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Transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney was recently honored in Forbes' latest "30 Under 30" list. (Vivien Killilea / Stringer)
In 2021, the school hosted alt-right figure media personality Milo Yiannopoulos, drawing backlash from faculty and students. University leaders condemned comments made by Yiannopoulos but went forward with the event, citing his "undeniable constitutional right" to speak on campus.
However, in October, Gaines claimed that she was not granted the same courtesy.
On October 10, Gaines said she was set to speak at Penn State for what she dubbed as "Real Women's Day." However, she insisted on social media that her speech was canceled and posted a 2022 video of school president Neeli Bendapudi stating that the school is "bound by the First Amendment" and must bring in speakers that "many will consider controversial."
"No way President of Penn State makes a whole video explaining why public institutions are legally obligated to let 'bigots' apparently like me on campus to speak then proceeds to CANCEL my speech tomorrow for real women's day (X/X)," Gaines wrote. "Have it your way. See ya tomorrow with a soap box and megaphone, Penn State!"
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Riley Gaines speaks at Penn State University. (Riley Gaines)
Penn State claimed that no such event featuring Gaines had been canceled at Penn State. The university said that Turning Point USA, the group bringing Gaines to campus, did not meet the deadline to submit the required reservations for an indoor space.
"As an institution of higher education, Penn State encourages free and open discussion as a way to strengthen our democracy and promote critical thinking and growth, and the university has a variety of speakers on its campuses," Penn State said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Gaines responded to the school's statement on social media, writing ""I mean, do you need confirmation that I was scheduled a room on campus? The cancelation was done after scheduling through Leadership Institute (not campus affiliated group) after TPUSA didn't meet the deadline. Btw TPUSA DID initially meet the deadline, but the university wouldn't meet with them until the 30 days prior had passed. I'd be happy to share those communications as well."
She also attached an image of an "event confirmation" message from Penn State for the HUB Robeson Center.
Gaines later attended an outdoor event at the university despite the scheduling disagreement.
Nikolas Lanum is an associate editor for Fox News Digital.
