Coachella. This is a buzz word to many young adults for an expensive weekend filled with musical performances, smouldering heat, and priceless memories. Coachella is more than a music festival, but rather a weekend for individuals to express themselves through their fashion in the deserts of Indio. However, there are some things you should probably know about the owner, Philip Anschutz, before you take the $300+ dive towards funding the event by buying a ticket. Together let’s sift through the myths and uncover the truth about Philip Anschutz.
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He’s Funded Anti-LGBTQ+ Organizations
Anschutz is a billionaire. He owns AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group) which in turn owns Goldenvoice that includes other festivals like FYF, Panorama, Hangout, and other venues across the country. As he’s acquired all his money from these festivals, he has funded a multitude of organizations. His foundation has donated almost $200,000 to anti-gay groups across the country from 2010 to 2013. This includes the Alliance Defending Freedom, the Family Research Council, and the National Christian Foundation. These groups put out a very strong opposition to same-sex marriage and Anschutz’s involvement triggered controversy on the Internet. The backlash became so strong that a hashtag #boycottcoachella was trending on Twitter. He was then labeled as someone who was an anti-gay supporter who was profiting off LGBTQ+ artists at his festivals.
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In an interview with the Rolling Stone in 2017, he stated that he “supports the rights of all people without regard to sexual orientation.” In the interview, he adds that his foundation will stop donating to those organizations. He later released a public statement, which is pretty rare for him, that read: “Recent claims published in the media that I am anti-LGBTQ are nothing more than fake news—it is all garbage.” In addition, he also funds anti-marijuana efforts. This explains his ban of marijuana on the Coachella premises. It is fair to say that if someone donates to an organization, that they align with the ideals of that organization.
As of 2018, Fader reported that Anschutz has donated one million dollars to Elton John’s AIDS Foundation’s LGBT Fund. We hope to see Anschutz continue to donate his money to foundations that mirror equality and acceptance. Even if Anschutz is funding organizations like this to repair his reputation, at least we know his money will benefit the LGBTQ+ community.
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Anschutz’s Donation Toward Conservative Politicians
Though he does not support those organizations above, Anschutz continues to support Conservative politicians who support ideals of those exact organizations. Anschutz is very involved in politics and that is proven in the donations he makes towards certain candidates. He is an open Conservative Republican and that is reflected in his funding. Let me give you a rundown. During the 2016 election, he donated more than one million dollars to Donald Trump. In 2017, he personally donated more than $200,000 to many conservative politicians, who will be named momentarily, and Super PACs. $5,400 was donated to avid Pro-gun supporter Senator Cory Gardner in March. $2,700 to Representative Tipton who openly opposes same-sex marriage. $5,400 to Mike Coffman who along with Tipton is pro-life. The list goes on. The point is that Anschutz’s funding is very reflective of his character for he supports men who oppose gay marriage and believe in limiting the women’s rights over their bodies.
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Though Anschutz is permitted to be part of any political party of his choosing, the problem lies in the ideology of the candidates he is funding therefore supporting. If gun control and pro-life is important to you, then that is something that you should consider before buying a ticket that will ultimately fund his future donations. However, if you were to forfeit buying tickets for any event/venue that he technically owns—you would virtually be unable to go to any musical show.