{"id":137512,"date":"2026-07-30T07:10:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T07:10:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/137512\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T07:10:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T07:10:11","slug":"madonna-to-perform-at-world-pride-in-amsterdam-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/137512\/","title":{"rendered":"Madonna to perform at World Pride in Amsterdam"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK \u2014 Cyndi Lauper on Monday said LGBTQ Americans and their allies cannot give up in the fight for equality.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to band together. We need to stand together, and we need to speak out, and we need to help each other,\u201d she told the Washington Blade during an interview after she arrived at Outright International\u2019s Celebration of Courage gala that took place at Pier 60 in Manhattan\u2019s Chelsea neighborhood. \u201cOtherwise, we\u2019re dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese people have courage \u2014 you have the courage to stand up,\u201d said Lauper in her acceptance speech, specifically referring to VoteLGBT and its work in Brazil.<\/p>\n

\u2018I just saw a lot of things that weren\u2019t right\u2019<\/p>\n

Lauper\u2019s LGBTQ advocacy spans decades.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Lauper in 2010 created the \u201cGive a Damn\u201d 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 President Donald Trump\u2019s \u201cThe Celebrity Apprentice\u201d the same year.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Lauper in 2022 performed at the White House ceremony during at which then-President Joe Biden signed<\/a> the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified marriage rights for same-sex couples into federal law. Lauper last year was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

\"\"Cyndi Lauper on Dec. 13, 2022, performs at the White House ceremony at which then-President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified marriage rights for same-sex couples into federal law. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)<\/p>\n

Lauper in her Outright International speech talked about her decision to support LGBTQ rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just saw a lot of things that weren\u2019t right,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I\u2019m friend and family, I thought it would be important to show up here and be with you guys,\u201d added Lauper.<\/p>\n

She told gala attendees and honorees that they inspire her.<\/p>\n

\u201cTonight was a big inspiration for me because I was feeling kind of down about how things are going,\u201d said Lauper. \u201cI know that we need to stand together in any civil rights movement \u2014 and that\u2019s what it fucking is!\u201d<\/p>\n

Lauper reiterated that message when she spoke with the Blade. She also criticized those who \u201cweaponize religion\u201d in their opposition to LGBTQ rights in the U.S. and around the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s very sad,\u201d said Lauper. \u201cReligion is supposed to be about humanity and love and understanding each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lauper urged gala attendees to vote and to encourage their families and friends to do the same. She also told them not to \u201cgive up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can never give up,\u201d said Lauper. \u201cEven though it might look like we\u2019re not going anywhere, you guys made me see that we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat inspires people,\u201d she added. \u201cYou make ripples and you change right before your eyes. It don\u2019t look like much, but it is and it gets bigger and bigger and bigger.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW YORK \u2014 Cyndi Lauper on Monday said LGBTQ Americans and their allies cannot give up in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":137513,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[101],"tags":[199,332,19967,66486,200,62473],"class_list":["post-137512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-amsterdam","tag-amsterdam","tag-featured","tag-madonna","tag-mistr","tag-netherlands","tag-world-pride"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@dk\/117007681586400533","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137512"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137512\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}