True Colors

Continued from page C-1

people about the values of diversity, respect and equality. I commend Cyndi and all of the artists involved for stepping up and using their extraordinary talents to help make this world a better place for all of us."

One dollar of every ticket sold will benefit the work of the Human Rights Campaign. That may not seem like a lot, but given that the tour is playing venues in 15 cities with capacities between 15,000 and 30,000, HRC could bag some heavy loot to aid in its advocacy work, which is going to be particularly relevant given the upcoming presidential election next year.

"I'm very proud to have partnered up with the HRC, with P-FLAG and with the Matthew Shepard Foundation," Lauper said. "It's always been very important to me, I've always been, as I've said, big on civil rights." She expounded on how her youth shaped her view of the world.

"Raised in the '60s, I saw African Americans fighting for what should have been given to them as Americans," she said. Lauper wants to "celebrate our differences" with the tour.

"I wanted to bring us all together because this is a very powerful and strong community," she noted. "If we all stand together, then we can make a difference, but if you fragment, you can't win. It's a lose-lose situation unless all Americans are protected by the hate crime law."

"This is not something that is extraordinary, this is across the board, protecting all Americans, no matter what their preference is or their religion is," she said of the hate crime bill.

As someone who has always been surrounded by queer friends, anti-gay violence is a constant worry for Lauper.

"I am friends and family of gay people, and I refuse to let my friends and family be

treated like that," she said. "I've seen it and I've worried many, many years. I live in New York and for many years I always worried about who was going to get beaten up."

During a conference call with the media about the tour and the Matthew Shepard Act, some reporters tried to draw Lauper out on specific politicians, asking who she would vote for in 2008 and what she thought of President Bush.

"Unfortunately, the poor guy is not connected to his heart at all," she said of the president.

While she refused to say who she favored among the field of Democratic hopefuls, she did say, "I refuse to support a hater."

"Now is the time to raise your voice, now is the time to band together. We are a family, we need to join together as a family,” she said. "I think a lot of people will come to the tour to celebrate Pride. I'm celebrating my birthday all month. This will afford people the opportunity to have it made easier for them.'

"I wanted to bring people together to have a haven in places that aren't necessarily the biggest cities," she concluded.

The tour organizers have indicated that this could become an annual summer tradition enhancing not only the musical milieu of the country but also elevating the discourse surrounding LGBT rights and equality in America.

Columbus is the only stop in Ohio as well as the region. The True Colors tour will be at the Schottenstein Center's Value City Arena at Lane Ave. and Olentangy River Rd. on Wednesday, June 13 at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available at any Ticketmaster location by visiting www.ticketmaster.com. For more information on the tour please visit www.truecolorstour.com

or

or

www.myspace. com/ officialtruecolorstour.

Anthony Glassman contributed to this

story.

Pride Guide 2007 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE C-9

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