Photo Credit: Christopher Polk / Getty Images
Yesterday, reports began circulating that Coachella owner/AEG CEO Phil Anschutz donates money to anti-LGBTQ groups, which would definitely cause a huge problem for the festival, which boasts big-name acts this year like Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Gucci Mane and more. According to Phil, however, that’s not the case.
“Recent claims published in the media that I am anti-LGBTQ are nothing more than fake news—it is all garbage,” Phil said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “I unequivocally support the rights of all people without regard to sexual orientation. We are fortunate to employ a wealth of diverse individuals throughout our family of companies, all of whom are important to us—the only criteria on which they are judged is the quality of their job performance; we do not tolerate discrimination in any form.”
However, there is some truth to the statements…just not to his knowledge.
A chart created last year claimed that Phil had donated up to $190,000 to organizations such as the Alliance Defending Freedom, the Family Research Council, and the National Christian Foundation that have campaigned against gay rights. He says to that:
“Both the Anschutz Foundation and I contribute to numerous organizations that pursue a wide range of causes. Neither I nor the Foundation fund any organization with the purpose or expectation that it would finance anti-LGBTQ initiatives, and when it has come to my attention or the attention of the Anschutz Foundation that certain organizations either the Foundation or I have funded have been supporting such causes, we have immediately ceased all contributions to such groups.”
Do you buy it, or do you think he’s saving face to save the concert?