Coachella owner confirms his stance on LGBTQ rights after facing immense backlash over his right-wing stand
Music festivals around the world are always a good excuse to let go of our worries for a while and just enjoy. But while people were going gaga over Beyonce's Coachella performance, somewhere the 'homophobic' Republican billionaire Philip Anshutz was making millions out of people's ignorance, at least that is what was alleged by many - including Cara Delevingne - in the recent days.
The mainstream music festival owner has been the topic of discussion these last few weeks with various publications regarding his traditional conservative values and donating to Republicans. However, he can now come out and explicitly stated that he is an ally of the LGBT+ community despite the various allegations against him.
Recently, supermodel Cara spoke up about her decision to boycott the festival altogether. “I still refuse to go to a festival that is owned by someone who is anti-LGBT and pro-gun,” she said in one of her social media posts. “I am able to shame that man and the festival and show my appreciation of an artist at the same time. Just because I love Beyoncé doesn’t mean I now love Coachella. I still wouldn’t go.”
Following the immense backlash, the multi-billionaire Anshutz and his organization, The Anschutz Foundation were forced to release a statement via their respective social media accounts.
Anschutz was first called out in a 2016 Washington Post article that revealed he’d made donations to anti-LGBT hate groups like the Family Research Council and the Alliance Defending Freedom. In all, The Anschutz Foundation gave $190,000 to those groups between 2010 and 2013.
At the time, Anschutz insisted he wasn’t against the LGBTQ community in any manner. “I unequivocally support the rights of all people without regard to sexual orientation,” he said in a statement calling the accusations “fake news.”
