Raising money aside, what do you see as the mission of a tour like this?
I look at it like a sense of community, a coalition. The straight and queer communities coming together is really important. I know that Cyndi Lauper wanted to do this as a way to give thanks back to the queer community that’s given so much to her. It’s gonna be a great night musically, but the bigger picture is that we’re all in it together. The queer community still has a long way to go in terms of achieving rights, and for her to give voice to that is a really powerful and positive thing.
Does the very existence of a tour like this show how far the world has come since you began your careers in the mid-’80s?
Early on, I had my own reservations about talking about sexuality in the press; I thought we’d just get pigeonholed and no one would ever know what we were capable of. But it’s so much more worth it to be part of a movement, to be open, to really claim your career and your life.
Today, [entertainment] is pretty open. When you have people like Ellen DeGeneres hosting huge awards shows and Lance Bass coming out from a boy band, it’s really cool. But obviously on the political front, with a rash of constitutional amendments for states banning gay marriage and super-high suicide rates for gay teens and homelessness and bashing, we still have a long way to go. –Spencer Patterson
True Colors featuring Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry, Erasure, Indigo Girls, The Dresden Dolls, Rosie O’Donnell. June 8, 8 p.m., $51.45-$103.95. MGM Grand Garden Arena, 891-7777.