Why Cara Delevingne Is Here for Beyoncé, but Not Coachella

Over the weekend, social media has been flooded with pics of celebs, including Justin Bieber, Kendall Jenner and Rihanna partying at Coachella—but don’t expect to see Cara Delevingne donning a flower crown and posing on the grass.

The actor/model has been vocal about not wanting to support Coachella because of the music and art festival’s founder Philip Anschutz. Numerous news reports about the entertainment mogul have surfaced in the past few years detailing how Anschutz contributed large amounts of money to right-wing causes, including the Alliance Defending Freedom, National Christian Foundation and the Family Research Council. The Washington Post classified all three organizations as anti-LGBTQ organizations, noting that the Family Research Council has been classified as anti-LGBTQ “extremist group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center. In the 2016 article, Anschutz was called out by LGBTQ-rights group Freedom for All Americans naming him, alongside numerous other American executives, as “enemies of equality.”

“Recent claims published in the media that I am anti-LGBTQ are nothing more than fake news—it is all garbage,” Anschutz told Rolling Stone in a written statement last year, where he also claimed he was unaware that these organizations were anti-LGBTQ and he would no longer be funding their causes. “I unequivocally support the rights of all people without regard to sexual orientation.” Later that year, however, Anschutz reportedly also donated to senators who oppose same-sex marriage and are pro-gun and anti-abortion. Basically, this dude may talk the talk, but seems to be walking a completely different walk.

Delevingne made it clear that she was not down with what Anschutz was doing, and would therefore be boycotting the festival. She was all about #NoChella.

While Delevingne opted out of the music festival, there was no way she was going to miss this year’s headliner. When Queen Bey took the stage, Delevingne shared on Instagram that the performance made her “burst into tears and sent shivers down my spine” —a post that sent other IG users into a war of words in the comment section.

“I think you’re missing the point,” wrote one IG user. “If you boycott cochella [sic] then you’ve got to boycott it all the way. That means not watching it on tv and not praising artists that participated.”

“boooooo no you’re supporting an artist who accepted money from the pig that you shamed!,” wrote another user. “Think about it Cara she basically took dirty money so she is dirty too.”

Delevingne responded to the backlash with an IG post making it clear that just because she supports Beyoncé doesn’t mean she’s changed her stance on Coachella.

“I still refuse to go to a festival that is owned by someone who is anti lgbt and pro gun. I am allowed to shame that man and the festival and show my appreciation of an artist at the same time,” wrote Delevingne on her Insta Stories. “Just because I love Beyoncé doesn’t mean I now love Coachella. I still wouldn’t go. And I will let nothing get in the way of me showing my love or hate for something. Don’t let anyone come between you and your truth.”

While fans remain divided on whether or not Delevingne contradicted her boycott, I guess the only thing that we can all agree on is that Beyoncé’s performance, where she became the first Black woman to ever headline the festival, deserved all kinds of love. And that’s the truth.