Posted: 28 Aug 2011 10:48 PM PDT
Ever since she stormed the pop-music stage in the 1980s, she has put herself in our predicament. She launched the Give a Damn campaign to fight LGBT discrimination and created the annual True Colors Tour to benefit organizations that provide support to the gay community, including the Human Rights Campaign, PFLAG, and the Mathew Shepard Foundation.
Once again, Lauper will put her money where her mouth is.
On September 1, 2011, her True Colors Residence opens in Manhattan (near 154th and Frederick Douglass Blvd., in Harlem). The six-story, 30-bed housing facility for homeless LGBT youth between the ages of 18 - 24 stands as the first “permanent housing facility of its kind in the city." It comes equipped with a computer room, resource library, communal indoor and outdoor space and will also offer residents on-site job-training.
"Our primary goal is to provide a physically and emotionally safe and supportive environment that will empower our young residents to be the self-loving, happy and successful individuals they were meant to be," said Lauper.
Lauper decided to open the facility soon after she discovered that up to 40% of homeless youth living in New York City identify as LGBT.
"Even more disturbing are reports that these young people often face discrimination and at times physical assault in some of the very places they have to for help, said Lauper. “This is shocking and inexcusable!"
Let’s not pretend otherwise: Lauper knows no neutral ground. She has lobbied against compliance to make an invisible class more visible. And she has pushed back homophobic privilege by speaking out, by seeing us as equals, by paying attention to the needs of our community.
We can see your true colors shining though, Cyndi Lauper. They really are beautiful, like a rainbow. More information about the True Colors Residence here.
Article By: Christopher Donaldson - Gay.netI borrowed this from MICHAEL@haytwogether.com
2 comments:
Way to go Cindi! One of the best!
Go Cyndi!
Post a Comment