Longtime singer and theater actress Cyndi Lauper, best known for her 80's anthem "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" has always been cherished by the gay community. Her 1986 album, True Colors, featured a slew of songs that resonated with many youths struggling to come to terms with their sexuality.
When she's not performing for adoring crowds, Lauper is doing her part to better the world as a gay rights advocate. Case in point: the 53-year-old was one of the headliners for a new True Colors tour, in an effort to raise awareness about homosexual rights (or lack thereof).
According to the Associated Press as relayed by the Washington Post, she had this to say about it: " A lot of people were saying that when it came out they were teenagers and they were coming out. They were disowned by their family and their friends and their jobs got all messed up and they were totally alone, and suicidal, and then they heard `True Colors' and it made them feel hopeful."
The 15-city voyage for civil rights began June 8 in Las Vegas and concluded June 30 in Los Angeles. Other headliners included such notable performers as Blondie sensation Deborah Harry, the brit-pop duo Erasure and comedian Margaret Cho.
In looking at the impact the tour had, Lauper said, " This tour was basically gonna be five hours of some of my favorite bands and me, and Margaret Cho making us laugh, and while we're touring, we're going to be raising awareness." The star added, "I think people don't know what's going on, that's all."
MTV Networks Channel sponsored the tour in hopes of garnering in gay audiences. It supplied information to fans who attended and offered purple wristbands with the slogan ingrained “Erase Hate” from the Matthew Shepard organization, which is named after a young man murdered in a hate crime. For every ticket sold, one dollar was sent to the Human Rights Campaign, an organization dedicated to equal rights for homosexual, bisexual and transgendered people.
I know what the immature idiots out there are thinking--if Lauper loves gays so much, then why doesn't she marry them? Well, besides the fact she's not homosexual herself and that gay people (generally) can't get married anyway, she merely feels more Americans would support gay rights if they understood the discrimination gays face: "You shouldn't have to be treated badly because of your sexual orientation. Come on, we don't live in a dictatorship. This is supposed to be America, the home of the free and the brave. It can't be free for some and not for others" the star opined.
Personally, I think she gives the American populous more credit than they deserve, and more credit that I do. But she has hope. And that is still amazing.
Her fifth album, Sisters of Avalon (released in Japan in 1996 and everywhere else in 1997) brought her moderate success, but only sold 1 million copies worldwide. The album was quickly embraced by the gay community for its dance and club styling. The album was written and produced with the help of Jan Pulsford (Lauper's keyboard player) and Producer Mark Saunders. Guest musicians include, Bush lead guitarist Nigel Pulsford on "You Don't Know" and "Love to Hate". The album was written and recorded in Tennessee and Connecticut and finished in an old mansion in Tuxedo Park, N.Y., where she lived and worked at that time.
The song "Ballad of Cleo and Joe" addressed the complications of a drag queen's double life. Lauper started writing the song around 1994. "Brimstone and Fire" painted a portrait of a lesbian relationship, and "You Don't Know" showed Lauper flexing more political muscle than on her previous albums. The song "Say a Prayer" was written for a friend of hers who had died from AIDS. The song "Searchin'" was used in one of Baywatch's episodes. "Unhook the Stars" was made into a movie of the same name starring Marisa Tomei, Gerard Depardieu, Gena Rowlands and David Thornton.
Lauper's sister Ellen had "come out" and Lauper considered her to be a role model.[citation needed] Ellen was doing a lot of charity work for the gay community, and was working out of a clinic, helping people who were suffering from AIDS.
Lauper began performing as a featured artist at gay pride events around the world (as early as 1994, she had performed at the closing ceremonies for Gay Games IV in New York City). She also served as the opening act for Tina Turner's summer tour, which was one of the highest grossing tours that year. Lauper took up the Appalachian dulcimer, taking lessons from David Schnauffer.
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