Taylor Swift, Cher, Billie Eilish, LL Cool J, and Dolly Parton are adding their voices to Cyndi Lauper's annual concert to combat youth homelessness, an issue the "True Colors" singer says has only gotten worse during the pandemic. "You can say, 'Stay home, protect yourself.' What do you do if you've got no home?" Lauper tells the AP. "It's time that we make sure all young people have access to lifesaving services without fear of violence or discrimination." Lauper's "Home for the Holidays" benefit concert will premiere Friday on her TikTok channel at 8pm ET, with an additional stream on Sunday night at 8 on Lauper’s YouTube and Facebook handles. The lineup also includes Adam Lambert, Amanda Shires/Jason Isbell, Bette Midler, Billy Porter, Boy George, Brandi Carlile, Brittany Howard, Carson Kressley, Harvey Fierstein, Henry Rollins, Jackson Browne, Judy Gold, Kim Petras, King Princess, Meg Myers, Phoebe Bridgers, Sharon Osbourne, Shea Diamond, and Whoopi Goldberg.
Some celebrities will make appearances and others will perform. This year's concert will be free to watch, with donations encouraged. Lauper, whose hits include "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "Time After Time," started the nonprofit LGBTQ advocacy organization that would become True Colors United in 2008. "We started True Colors 12 years ago on a tour bus," Lauper says. "We never thought we would be here, but here we are in 2020," a year she calls "a critical moment in history." Lauper points to statistics that show up to 40% of the 4.2 million youth experiencing homelessness in America are LGBTQ. In addition, a study by the University of Chicago found LGBTQ young people are 120% more likely to experience homelessness than non-LGBTQ youth. "[This is] a global problem that really demands boldness and empathy from people," Lauper says.
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