Fans attending Cyndi Lauper’s annual Home for the Holidays concert last night had an epic surprise, as did the singer herself. A special envoy of the United Nations interrupted the show to present Lauper with the first-ever High Note Global Prize for her decades of advocacy to end homelessness within the LGBTQ community.
Fellow performer Kesha joined Laurent Sauveur, Chief External Outreach of the UN on stage to present a teary-eyed Lauper with a special plaque for her achievement.
“We are proud to support The High Note Global Initiative in an effort to galvanize global mobilization for human rights, and at the same time honor artists who passionately use their work to promote and protect the rights of others,” Sauveur said of the award.
Related: Cyndi Lauper to get United Nations award for her LGBTQ work
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
“The High Note Global Prize celebrates artists that have leveraged their musical gifts to create a platform to promote social justice,” said David Clark, Creator of The High Note Global Initiative in a statement. “We are delighted to recognize and honor Cyndi Lauper as the 2019 High Note Global Prize Laureate. For decades she has promoted human rights, been a voice and active participant for change, and inspired people around the world to be tolerant and true to themselves. She is most deserving of this award, and we look forward to celebrating her achievements during our inaugural High Note Global Prize award ceremony.”
This year marked the 9th Annual Home for the Holidays, a charity concert event spearheaded by Lauper. The proceeds of the show go toward ending homelessness among LGBTQ youth. Statistics show that approximately 4.2 million youth and young adults live on the streets, a whopping 40% of homeless youth identify as queer. This year’s lineup included musical performances by Billy Porter, Henry Rollins, Perry Farrell (of Jane’s Addiction), Belinda Carlisle, Marilyn Manson, K. Flay, Kesha and Dexter Holland (of The Offspring). Comics Gina Yashere, Lily Tomlin, Carol Leifer and Margret Cho also took the stage in the show which ran over a whopping three hours.
maleficent
the hair alone is award-worthy
rodzilla
Dear Cyndi, Do you remember the time, about 30 yrs ago, we shared an elevator @ Foxwoods Resort Casino? You had just finished a show and we were both going to the 8th floor lounge after. I was wearing a reversible silver lame brocade and white mink cape. No? I didn’t think so but you were fabulous then and still are! But the real reason for this comment is to say that this Christmas my spouse & I are, in lieu of presents, donating to different charities and thanks to this article, your’s in next on our list. Thank you for being such a wonderful humanitarian and BTW, your version of THE NATIONAL ANTHEM is unsurpassed!
maleficent
awwwww