Daughter of Bulleit Bourbon Founder Says Family Cut Her Off Because She’s a Lesbian

As many LGBTQ individuals can attest, family isn't always the safe haven answer that it's meant to be, and unconditional love isn't a guarantee. Unfortunately, Hollis Bulleit, daughter of Bulleit Bourbon founder Tom Bulleit, has felt this acutely.

In a series of Facebook posts, Bulleit described how she was phased out of the company without notice, and accredited her mistreatment to the fact that she's gay.

"I could never have imagined that I would get an email telling me that I was no longer working for Bulleit ore representing the brand," she wrote. "One would assume that after relocating across the country to be close to both of our distilleries that my partnerships were in good standing and that my efforts would be acknowledged." Bulleit went on to say how, throughout her career with the company, her partner, Cher, had been repeatedly slighted.

In a following post, Bulleit detailed how her relationship had been viewed by family members as lesser throughout her tenure with the company. "Since Cher and I have been together she has been excluded from 'the family business' from the start; yet Tom's second wife and all of my stepbrother's girlfriends were included in photos, event invites, and press," she wrote. "I was forced to deflect questions about my family at work events which put me in a horrible position not of my making; either through assumptions, omissions, or direct advice... I was asked to come home for Christmas; yet Cher was not invited."

In a fourth Facebook post, following a third lamenting the loss of the decade-old persona she crafted for the company and risks taken to tell her story, Bulleit responded to her earlier posts' reception. "It has been mind blowing reading through the amount of responses to these posts," she started. "Many people have been positive and have found creative outlets for their responses to this issue. I spoke to a dear friend last night and we were both saddened because if these posts follow the historical path of social justice posts, then this fire will not burn much longer and we have no idea how to keep people invested in an important story that goes well beyond my plight." Read Hollis' posts in full, here.