On Tuesday morning, President Biden signed legislation that codified legal same-sex and interracial marriage in America. The Respect For Marriage Act is long overdue and The White House hosted nothing short of a celebration to mark the occasion. Among the guests invited to perform were Cyndi Lauper, Sam Smith, and Joy Oladokun. But before the performances happened on the White House Lawn, Cyndi Lauper — who has long-since championed gay rights — addressed the media as part of the Biden administration’s official press hearing.
Lauper was introduced by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre who called her “an icon,” citing how Lauper, “Has been advocating for LGBTQIA+ for decades; particularly to end youth homelessness.” After she thanked the Biden administration for having her, Lauper issued a powerful statement that was delivered with hard-earned happiness, and a palpable sense of relief.
“For once our families — mine and a lot of my friends and people you know, sometimes your neighbors — we can rest easy tonight because our families are validated,” Lauper said. “And because now we’re allowed to love who we love, which sounds odd to say, but Americans can now love who we love. And bless Joe Biden and all the people that worked on this for allowing people not to worry and their children not to worry about their future. Thank you and thank you for being supportive. And hey, I will sing out to you. Thank you very much.”
Lauper later performed her timeless hit “True Colors.” Sam Smith also delivered an impassioned version of “Stay With Me” where they switched the opening lyrics from “Guess it’s true I’m not good at a one night stand” to “Boy you know I’m no good at a one night stand.”
Watch Cyndi Lauper deliver her statement at The White House above.