Cyndi Lauper is the first person to receive the High Note Global Prize for her years of activism towards stopping LGBT+ youth homelessness.

The High Note Global Prize was created by the United Nations Human Rights to acknowledge artists who use their platform to bring about social change and advance equality. Lauper will be awarded the inaugural prize at her Home for the Holidays benefit concert on December 10. 

In 2008, Lauper co-founded the organisation True Colours United with the aim of developing and implementing programmes to help prevent LGBT+ youth homelessness. The Home for the Holidays benefit concert provides significant funding for the charity so that they can meet their goal.

On the True Colours United website, it states, “In the United States, 4.2 million youth experience homelessness each year, with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth 120% more likely to experience homelessness than their non-LGBTQ peers. True Colors United is committed to changing that.”

For International Youth Day 2019, the United Nations made a call on countries to address and adopt measures to help LGBT+ youths at risk of homelessness due to discriminatory practices. They issued the following statement, “As a result of religious and cultural intolerance that may include sexual and other forms of violence, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse (LGBT+) youth around the world face socio-economic exclusion, including from within their own homes and communities, and family disapproval and punishment can force them to leave home, which renders them more vulnerable to yet more violence and discrimination. This explains why LGBT+ youth are overrepresented in populations experiencing homelessness and why, once homeless, they experience additional discriminations.”

Lisa Barbaris co-founded the charity organisation True Colours United along with Cyndi Lauper and served as the first Board of Directors President until 2015. Carson Kressley, Sara Ramirez and Diane M. Reichenberger are among the members on the board of directors.

According to the Rolling Stones, Kesha will present Lauper with the award at the Home for the Holidays concert, which has been running for nine years. Celebrity guests such as Lily Tomlin, Billy Porter, and Brandi Carlile will be in attendance.