Cyndi Lauper has been named the Lifetime Ally Icon for the 2024 WeHo Pride Parade, the first person to receive that designation.
“Renowned for her groundbreaking contributions to music, activism, and LGBTQ+ advocacy, Cyndi Lauper epitomizes the ethos of pride, inclusivity, and resilience,” says a press release from the City of West Hollywood and WeHo Pride producer JJLA.
Lauper and other Icons, who will be announced in the next few weeks, will be featured as part of the WeHo Pride Parade, which will take place June 2 along Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood.
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“With a career spanning decades, Lauper has left an indelible mark, especially within the LGBTQ+ community,” the press release notes. “From her iconic hits like ‘True Colors’ and ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun,’ Lauper’s repertoire resonates as a poignant soundtrack of the LGBTQ+ equality movement and beyond.”
Her activism includes cofounding True Colors United, a nonprofit dedicated to combating homelessness among LGBTQ+ youth, in 2008. More recently, in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, she launched the Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights Fund, housed at the Tides Foundation, to support women’s rights and health.
“I love Pride, I love West Hollywood! I love a parade," Lauper said in the release. "I am very excited about being WeHo Pride’s Lifetime Ally Icon. Can”t wait to see you all there.”
“Cyndi Lauper embodies the spirit of inclusivity, unity, and vibrancy that has defined West Hollywood throughout its history,” Mayor John M. Erickson added. “Her unwavering dedication to advocacy throughout the years, coupled with her unparalleled musical legacy, makes her a perfect fit for this moment in time as Lifetime Ally Icon as we celebrate WeHo Pride 2024.”
“We have worked tirelessly alongside the City of West Hollywood to re-create the Pride parade experience, offering more of a live entertainment show celebrating the richness of the West Hollywood’s LGBTQ+ allyship,” said Jeff Consoletti, founder and CEO of JJLA, the live event and entertainment agency producing the WeHo Pride Parade. “This year’s parade follows in that tradition, celebrating the West Hollywood community with distinguished Icons front and center, as we continue to attract the tens of thousands of spectators to WeHo Pride’s most enamored program. We are ecstatic to have Cyndi Lauper bring her unique style and enduring commitment to celebrate and support the LGBTQ+ community in a city unlike any other.”
WeHo Pride will also include the OUTLOUD Music Festival, taking place June 1 and 2 from 1 p.m. to midnight both days. Details about performers at WeHo Pride Presents Friday Night @ OUTLOUD on May 31 will be announced in the coming weeks.
