Equality Rocks
This year, the Human Rights Campaign was proud to join forces with legendary performer Cyndi Lauper on a national tour in support of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. The tour featured Cyndi and other incredible artists including Erasure, Debbie Harry, The Dresden Dolls and Margaret Cho as well as a variety of special guests, including Rosie O'Donnell and Rufus Wainwright in certain cities. The smash-hit tour traveled to 16 cities in June, and HRC received a portion of the proceeds from every ticket sold.
The tour is an extension of our landmark concert, Equality Rocks. In April 2000, more than 45,000 people poured in to Washington, D.C.’s RFK stadium to support equality and hear inspiring performances by Melissa Etheridge, Garth Brooks, George Michael, Michael Feinstein, Rufus Wainwright, k.d. lang, the Pet Shop Boys and Chaka Khan. Ellen DeGeneres, Nathan Lane and Tipper Gore all served as hosts of the largest GLBT concert at that time.
One of the most powerful moments of that day, came after then-Executive Director Elizabeth Birch introduced Dennis and Judy Shepard, Matthew Shepard’s parents and several other families who had been affected by hate crimes. They included: Louvon Harris and Darrell Varrett, the sister and nephew of James Byrd Jr., who was dragged to death behind a truck in Texas; Chuck and Eleanor Kadish, parents of Ben Kadish, a young boy seriously injured when a man carried out a violent rampage of a Jewish day school in Los Angeles; and Ismael and Deena Illeto, the brother and sister-in-law of Joseph Illeto, a Filipino-American postal worker who died during that rampage.
HRC is grateful to all of the artists who help support these projects. Each concert provides an opportunity to engage audiences in the work toward equality. The Human Rights Campaign, through Equality Rocks and other programs, remains committed to charitable fundraising efforts. In 2008, we expect to join Cyndi on the road again and hope to see you there. For more information, visit www.hrc.org/truecolors.