Lauper Tours For Gay Rights

For some people, Cyndi Lauper's classic "True Colors" is just another love song. But as Lauper learned from reading fans' letters, for others, the song's lyrics about letting "your true colors shine through" had a much deeper meaning.

"A lot of people were saying that when it came out (in 1986) they were teenagers and they were coming out," says Lauper, a longtime gay rights supporter. "They were disowned by their family and their friends and their jobs got all messed up and they were totally alone, and suicidal, and then they heard `True Colors' and it made them feel hopeful."

So it's fitting that Lauper, 53, is one of the headliners on the new "True Colors" tour, which will hit major cities nationwide to promote gay rights. Other performers for the 15-city event, which kicks off in Las Vegas on June 8 and ends in Los Angeles on June 30, are Deborah Harry, Erasure and Margaret Cho.

Other stops on the tour are Salt Lake City; Denver; Chicago; Atlantic City, N.J.; Boston; Washington; New York; Toronto; Atlanta; Dallas; Houston; San Diego and San Francisco.