Blond Ambition

Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry, Erasure and Margaret Cho will headline the ambitious "True Colors" tour, which will hit major cities nationwide to promote gay rights. The 15-city event kicks off in Las Vegas on June 8 and ends in Los Angeles on June 30. The Dresden Dolls, The Gossip and The Misshapes are also on the bill, as well as select guest appearances by Rufus Wainwright, Rosie O'Donnell, and the Indigo Girls. "Every time I talk to a band, they're like, 'I want to go!'" Lauper explained.

The tour, sponsored by Logo, will provide information to fans who attend, as well as purple wristbands with the slogan "Erase Hate" from the Matthew Shepard organization. A dollar from every ticket sold will be earmarked for the Human Rights Campaign, which advocates equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people.

It sounds like a really noble effort and I'll be curious if the way it's packaged stops straight fans of some of these artists from attending. Lauper, whose sister is a bull dyke lesbian, believes more Americans would be supportive of equal rights for gays if they knew the discrimination they faced. Amen to that, now we shall see how it goes this summer. (Tour Web site)