Philip Anschutz is the billionaire mogul behind Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), the massive entertainment conglomerate that owns promotion companies, arenas, stadiums, theaters, festivals, and sports teams all over the world. In 2001, AEG bought Goldenvoice, the promoter of Coachella, Panorama, FYF, Hangout, and Tyler the Creator's Camp Flog Gnaw, among other festivals and venues. Last week, following the 2017 Coachella lineup announcement, Anschutz’s political views came under increased scrutiny as various publications reported on his support of right-wing causes. Now, Pitchfork has uncovered more information about Anschutz’s financial ties to groups that have backed anti-LGBTQ initiatives.
Last week, reports made by publications ranging from Teen Vogue to The Fader cited a Washington Post-circulated infographic made by the pro-LGBTQ legal organization Freedom for All Americans that claimed Anschutz’s philanthropic arm, the Anschutz Foundation, contributed to the groups Alliance Defending Freedom, National Christian Foundation, and Family Research Council between 2010 and 2013. Tax filings from the Anschutz Foundation viewed by Pitchfork confirmed that the foundation did indeed donate to those groups.
Following those initial reports last week, AEG issued two statements to the press on January 5. The first was from the company itself:
We are aware of recent attacks upon our owner, Mr. Philip Anschutz. These attempts to perpetuate and spread false news on a variety of topics are part of a long-running and coordinated attempt by our competitors to smear AEG and our many businesses, including our live music and facilities divisions. These attempts have failed before, and will fail again because actions speak louder than words and our track record demonstrates a strong commitment to both diversity and sustainability, two of our most critical core values.
Throughout our 20 year history, AEG and AEG Live have worked hard to create a supportive and inclusive environment that respects the rights of all employees, artists and fans, as well as promoting a philosophy of sustainability throughout the world. We believe that true creativity is best expressed in an environment where everyone has the right to say what they believe in an unbiased and uncensored environment.
The second was from Anschutz personally:
Recent claims published in the media that I am anti-LGBTQ are nothing more than fake news – it is all garbage. 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.
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.
However, the latest Anschutz Foundation tax filing viewed by Pitchfork reveals that it donated to two of the groups in question, Alliance Defending Freedom and National Christian Foundation, as recently as 2015, two years later than the press previously reported.
AEG representatives have declined multiple opportunities to comment to Pitchfork about how the groups’ views on LGBTQ issues failed to reach the attention of Anschutz or the foundation sooner. In the cases of Alliance Defending Freedom and Family Research Council, these anti-LGBTQ stances were easily found on their respectivewebsites at the time of the foundation’s disclosed donations to the groups.
According to a tax filing made by the Anschutz Foundation to the IRS, uncovered by Pitchfork via the nonprofit tax document source CitizenAudit.org, the foundation donated $75,000 to Alliance Defending Freedom and $15,000 to National Christian Foundation in the year ending in November 2015. The “program area” for these two gifts is classified as “core principles.” Other examples of a “program area” in the filing include “health,” “youth development,” and “quality of life.” Representatives for AEG have not responded to Pitchfork’s request for clarification of what the foundation’s “core principles” are.
Before that, from December 2011 to November 2014, the Anschutz Foundation contributed $110,000 to Alliance Defending Freedom, $50,000 to National Christian Foundation, and $20,000 to Family Research Council, according to onlinetaxfilings viewed by Pitchfork via the Foundation Center, another data tracker. The “program areas” listed for these gifts include “religious and related activities,” “Christian principles & values,” and “conserv concepts, public policy.” (The abbreviation “conserv” is not explained.)
The Anschutz Foundation shares little information publicly, but said in a tax filing for its year ending in November 2011, “The Anschutz Foundation operates as a general purpose foundation whose focus includes education, programs that promote traditional family values, and programs that assist the underprivileged.”
Anschutz celebrating a Stanley Cup win by one of the sports teams he owns, the L.A. Kings. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Asked about the foundation’s most recent public tax filing, Cole Finegan, an attorney at Hogan Lovells, a law firm that represents AEG, told Pitchfork that the contributions stopped after 2015. (Tax filings for the period ending November 2016 aren’t yet online.) “Once it was explained to us that there was an issue, it stopped,” Finegan told Pitchfork in a phone interview. “Once we were approached and it was explained to us then the donations stopped.” Finegan declined to comment further, instead referring Pitchfork to previous statements.
AEG spokesperson Michael Roth told Pitchfork he couldn’t comment on donations made by the Anschutz Foundation or Anschutz personally, also referring Pitchfork to previous statements.
Alliance Defending Freedom and Family Research Council have long public histories of supporting anti-LGBTQ initiatives.
Founded in 1994, Alliance Defending Freedom lawyers co-authored a Supreme Court brief opposing the decriminalization of homosexuality in 2003. The group has provided legal support for a variety of cases defending various vendors who have refused to work with same-sex couples at their weddings.
A “statement of faith” on the group’s website says, “We believe God immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God, and rejecting one’s biological sex rejects the created image of God.” It also says, “We believe God designed marriage as a unique conjugal relationship joining one man and one woman in a single, exclusive, life-long union. God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between a man and a woman joined in marriage.”
Alliance Defending Freedom did not respond to Pitchfork’s request for comment. However, at some point between the sending of our emailed request on 3 p.m. on Tuesday, December 10 and the editing of this story on 4 p.m. on Wednesday, December 11, one key passage of the “statement of faith” was altered. The line “We believe all forms of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, polygamy, polyandry, bestiality, incest, pornography, and acting upon any disagreement with one’s biological sex) are sinful and offensive to God” was changed to “We believe all forms of sexual immorality are sinful and offensive to God.” You can find the original text here.
Family Research Council, founded in 1983, state on their website:
Family Research Council believes that homosexual conduct is harmful to the persons who engage in it and to society at large, and can never be affirmed. It is by definition unnatural, and as such is associated with negative physical and psychological health effects. While the origins of same-sex attractions may be complex, there is no convincing evidence that a homosexual identity is ever something genetic or inborn. We oppose the vigorous efforts of homosexual activists to demand that homosexuality be accepted as equivalent to heterosexuality in law, in the media, and in schools.
They have also posted a long list of legislative testimony and briefs, policy publications, and op-eds related to their fights against LGBTQ rights over the years.
The third group in question, National Christian Foundation, which does business as the National Christian Charitable Foundation, says on its website that last year it “mobilized more than $960 million in grants to 20,000 churches, ministries, and other charities.” In 2012, the most recent year for which a list of specific recipients could be found, the National Christian Foundation gave more than $10 million to Alliance Defending Freedom, a tax filing from the foundation shows. That would’ve represented a significant chunk of Alliance Defending Freedom’s funding: In the year through June 30, 2013, Alliance Defending Freedom received just $39 million in grants overall, it said in a tax filing. National Christian Foundation’s website doesn’t comment on LGBTQ rights.
These three groups have some of their leadership in common. Alliance Defending Freedom’s co-founders include the late Larry Burkett, also a co-founder of National Christian Foundation, and James Dobson, co-founder of Family Research Council. Terry Parker, another National Christian Foundation co-founder, has also served as a director of the Family Research Council, a 2012 tax filing from Family Research Council shows.
Alliance Defending Freedom, National Christian Foundation, and Family Research Council have not responded to Pitchfork’s requests for comment.
A petition has been launched calling for Coachella headliners Beyoncé, Radiohead, and Kendrick Lamar to donate their Coachella fees to pro-LGBTQ organizations.