Legendary LGTBQ+ Ally Cyndi Lauper to be Inducted Into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Oh mama dear, we are the fortunate ones because one of our greatest allies is being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Sunday night, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced their 2025 inductees and, while some of the choices were odd considering the nominated artists (The White Stripes beating out Joy Division/New Order is a travesty) there was one name on the list that I think the entire LGBTQ+ community should be happy to see honored: Cyndi Lauper. Lauper should be well-known to the queer community for her decades of great pop music, but she also stands as possibly the greatest straight ally the LGBTQ+ community has ever had.

Being an ally is not a title you bestow upon yourself, but one that should be granted to you by the community you’re protecting when you’ve shown that you really have their back. And there’s no question that Cyndi Lauper has had our backs since the beginning of her career. If you ever get a chance to see the documentary on Lauper’s life called Let the Canary Sing (it’s currently streaming on Paramount+) I highly recommend it. It explains how gay people shaped her life, most notably her lesbian sister Ellen and her upstairs neighbor Carl and his partner Gregory Natal, leading her to a life of advocating for the the LGBTQ+ community. In 1984 she put both Carl and Gregory into the video for her famous female-masturbation anthem, “She Bop” (which she says was inspired by gay porn) as well as a transgender friend of her named Ms. Diana, back at a time when nobody talked about transgender people.

In the documentary as well as in interviews, Lauper has explained that her famous song “True Colors” was a tribute to Natal when he was dying of AIDS. “He died of AIDS, and (‘True Colors’) was for us to feel better,” she explained to People Magazine in 2023. “He had wanted me to write a song for him, and I tried.” “True Colors” became an LGBTQ+ anthem in the days before we had mainstream recognition in society, and went on to become the name of her organization designed to end LGBTQ+ homelessness.

In 2008, Lauper co-founded the organization True Colors United which is dedicated to ending youth homelessness, with a special emphasis on homeless LGBTQ+ youth who make up about 40% of the youth homelessness population. In 2015, Lauper testified before a Senate subcommittee about youth homelessness and ended up being the one pushing for the Senate for answers. She explained how the problem is worsened by homeless shelters that will turn away transgender youth. Senator Susan Collins of Maine suggested forcing shelters with federal funding to adhere to a nondiscrimination policy, but that ran into difficulties trying to get that added to a human trafficking bill. “Then what should we do?” Lauper asked, never one to give up a fight. Collins suggested to keep pushing, but Lauper seemed unsatisfied with that brush-off of an answer.

True Colors United continues its work trying to end youth and particularly LGBTQ+ youth homelessness to this day and Lauper is currently on her farewell tour (which comes through Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater on August 12). What a crowning achievement to her great career to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. On behalf of the LGBTQ+ community everywhere, I’d like to congratulate our ally Cyndi Lauper on her amazing achievement.

Photo courtesy of social media