Cyndi Lauper, Harvey Fierstein Pen New ‘Kinky Boots’ Lyrics: ‘Just Pee’
Although other notable musicians have canceled their North Carolina gigs to protest the controversial “bathroom bill,” Cyndi Lauper will perform in Raleigh, North Carolina on Saturday. She’s already said she plans to donate the funds to the LGBT-rights group Equality North Carolina, but in advance of the concert, Lauper and Harvey Fierstein, who collaborated on the hit Broadway musical Kinky Boots, have rewritten words to one of the show’s song to show support for the transgender community.
“[T]he best way I know how to make a difference is what I have strived to do my whole life and that is show up for my family, friends and fans in the LGBT community,” Lauper said in a previous statement. “So, for that reason, I think the best way I can do my part is to turn my show in Raleigh on June 4th into an entire day to build public support to repeal HB2.”
The video shows the cast of the musical, many of them men in drag, using the men’s urinals at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre while singing the refrain: “Just pee (where you want to pee).”
In a statement, Fierstein said: “So, you don’t like transgender people? Have the balls to honestly say it. Today’s bathroom controversy is fueled by the same bigots that sought to ban gay and lesbian teachers forty years ago. All these years later they’re still hiding behind the claim that they’re only protecting their children. These discussions are great opportunities to educate and strengthen the bonds that make us all one human family.
“But when I see discussions on social media proposing a men’s room for adult males, a ladies’ room for adult females, a little girls’ room for little girls, a little boy’s room for little boys and then another pair of bathrooms for little boys with a parent and little girls with a parent… Well, it’s time to take a step back and laugh at our own absurdity. This video is a reminder that sometimes we go to the bathroom just to pee.”