Last month, we threw a party – and it was pretty damn awesome.
On October 9, 2016, our co-founder Cyndi Lauper hosted the inaugural Damn Gala – the first signature Los Angeles event in support of our work to end lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth homelessness.
Hosted by Emmy-Award-winning personality Carson Kressley, the evening had special performances by Cyndi Lauper, Jason Mraz, Molly Kate Kestner, and Sara Ramirez and featured inspiring youth talks by two of the True Colors Fund’s 2016 40 of the 40 Honorees: Phoebe VanCleefe and Kahlib Barton.
U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro delivered the keynote address for the evening and reaffirmed President Obama’s administration’s commitment to end homelessness, and that focussing on LGBT youth is extremely important in achieving that goal.
The True Colors Fund honored the Los Angeles LGBT Center and USA Network for their steadfast support and commitment to ending LGBT youth homelessness across the country.
In the days leading up Cyndi Lauper’s Damn Gala, The True Colors Fund hosted their third annual 40 to None Summit at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Village at Ed Gould Plaza. This year’s theme – “Coordination” – highlighted the importance for individuals and entities from various professional and personal backgrounds to work together to prevent and end LGBT youth homelessness.