Cyndi Lauper: Multi-faceted Renaissance Woman who Gives a Damn

She may be so unusual and of course the quintessential girl who just wants to have fun, but no one can say that Cyndi Lauper doesn’t give a damn.

Singer, songwriter, actress and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) activist Lauper pulls into the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center Wednesday tonight with Dr. John on the From Memphis to Mardi Gras tour.

She has been nominated for 14 Grammy Awards, 2 Emmy Awards, 2 American Music Awards, 7 American Video Awards and 18 MTV awards.

Her most recently released and 11th studio album, the Grammy nominated Memphis Blues, became the third highest charting album and the fifth top 40 album of her career. It also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Blues Album Chart, ruling atop the chart for 14 consecutive weeks.

But it is also away from the stage spotlight where Lauper continues to thrive in her role as activist. Three years ago, she founded the True Colors Fund, a non-profit that seeks to inspire and engage everyone, particularly the straight community, to become involved in the advancement of LGBT equality. 

The Fund recently launched the Give a Damn Campaign, an extensive and innovative online public education and awareness initiative. On Tuesday, she wrote a piece for The Huffington Post entitled, “Give a Damn.’’ The first two paragraphs read like this:

Twenty to 40 percent of homeless youth identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, yet only 3 to 5 percent of the general population does the same. Shock was the first thing I felt when I heard this statistic, and then sadness that there are so many young people who are either thrown out of their homes or run away out of fear and despair because they are gay or transgender.

But, while the disproportionate numbers are disheartening, what really matters and makes a significant impact are the young people themselves, their struggles and their desire to live a life that they dream about and deserve to live.

Read the rest of her column here and let us know what you think about Lauper’s efforts to encourage everyone to “research the youth shelters, transitional living programs, drop-in centers and youth centers in your community.’’

Or maybe you’ll want to tell Lauper herself. Ticket information for tonight’s show can be found here. But there’s still a very limited number of opportunities to meet and greet Lauper before tonight’s performance. It costs $250 if you don’t have a ticket to the concert and $200 if you do.

Email truecolorsfund@gmail.com with the following information: name, show venue (CEPAC), number of meet and greets purchasing, and type of meet and greet ($250 or $200).

Instructions on how to pay for the meet and greet will then be sent to you if you are one of the people who responds quickly enough.