Cyndi Lauper attends Outright International’s Celebration of Courage gala in New York on June 1, 2026. (Photo by Michael K. Lavers/Washington Blade)
MICHAEL K. LAVERS | The Washington Blade
Courtesy of the National LGBT Media Association
NEW YORK — Cyndi Lauper said Monday, June 1, that LGBTQ Americans and their allies cannot give up in the fight for equality.
“We need to band together. We need to stand together, and we need to speak out, and we need to help each other,” she told the Washington Blade during an interview after she arrived at Outright International’s Celebration of Courage gala that took place at Pier 60 in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. “Otherwise, we’re dead.”
Outright International honored the singer and long-time ally at the gala that raised nearly $1.5 million for the global LGBTQ and intersex advocacy group. Levi Strauss and VoteLGBT, a group that seeks to increase LGBTQ representation in Brazilian politics, also received awards at the event that Laverne Cox emceed.
“These people have courage — you have the courage to stand up,” Lauper said in her acceptance speech, specifically referring to VoteLGBT and its work in Brazil.
‘I just saw a lot of things that weren’t right’
Lauper’s LGBTQ advocacy spans decades. She co-founded True Colors United, which seeks to end homelessness among LGBTQ youth, in 2008. Gregory Lewis, who co-founded True Colors United alongside Lauper, introduced her at the Outright International gala.
Lauper in 2010 created the “Give a Damn” campaign through True Colors United that specifically encouraged straight people to support LGBTQ rights. She raised funds for True Colors United and the Stonewall Community Foundation when she was a contestant on Donald Trump’s The Celebrity Apprentice the same year.
Lauper headlined the WorldPride 2019 opening ceremony in New York. She received the first U.N. High Note Global Prize for her LGBTQ rights advocacy later that year. In 2022 she performed at the White House ceremony when then-President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act, codifieing marriage rights for same-sex couples into federal law.
And last year, Lauper was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Lauper in her Outright International speech talked about her decision to support LGBTQ rights.
“I just saw a lot of things that weren’t right,” she said. “Because I’m friend and family, I thought it would be important to show up here and be with you guys.”
She told gala attendees and honorees that they inspire her. “Tonight was a big inspiration for me because I was feeling kind of down about how things are going,” Lauper said. “I know that we need to stand together in any civil rights movement — and that’s what it fucking is!”
Lauper reiterated that message when she spoke with the Blade. She also criticized those who “weaponize religion” in their opposition to LGBTQ rights in the U.S. and around the world.
“That’s very sad,” said Lauper. “Religion is supposed to be about humanity and love and understanding each other.”
Lauper urged gala attendees to vote and to encourage their families and friends to do the same. She also told them not to “give up.”
“We can never give up,” said Lauper. “Even though it might look like we’re not going anywhere, you guys made me see that we are.
“That inspires people,” she added. “You make ripples, and you change right before your eyes. It don’t look like much, but it is and it gets bigger and bigger and bigger.”