Editing Cher (section)

== Philanthropy ==
[[File:Cher at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center 2006.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Cher wears a military beret and a white lace outfit, smiling with her arm around a US Army soldier in uniform.|Cher during her July 12, 2006, visit at [[Landstuhl Regional Medical Center]], Germany, which treats injured US military personnel serving in Afghanistan and Iraq]]

Cher's philanthropic work is channeled through the Cher Charitable Foundation, which focuses on [[Poverty reduction|combating poverty]], advancing [[medical research]], improving [[health care]] and supporting the rights of [[Social vulnerability|vulnerable groups]] such as [[veteran]]s, [[Children's rights|children]], [[LGBTQ rights by country or territory|LGBTQ individuals]], [[Elder rights|elders]] and [[animal rights|animals]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.juliensauctions.com/press/2006/cher-press-release.html |publisher=[[Julien's Auctions]] |title=The Collection of Cher Auction|date=October 3, 2006 |access-date=February 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216133542/https://www.juliensauctions.com/press/2006/cher-press-release.html |archive-date=February 16, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> She has been a vocal advocate for American soldiers, returning veterans and communities affected by war. In 1993, she joined a humanitarian mission to Armenia, delivering food and medical supplies to the [[First Nagorno-Karabakh War|war-torn]] region.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Cheever|first=Susan|author-link=Susan Cheever|url=http://people.com/archive/in-a-broken-land-vol-39-no-19/|title=In a Broken Land|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|date=May 17, 1993|access-date=January 18, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227055224/http://people.com/archive/in-a-broken-land-vol-39-no-19/|archive-date=December 27, 2016}}</ref> She has supported Operation Helmet, which provides free helmet upgrade kits to troops in [[Iraq]] and [[Afghanistan]], and contributed to the [[Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund]], aiding military personnel severely injured in war-related operations.<ref name=Philanthropy/>

Beginning in 1990, Cher served as a donor and as the National Chairperson and Honorary Spokesperson for the [[Children's Craniofacial Association]], whose mission is to "empower and give hope to facially disfigured children and their families".<ref name=Philanthropy>{{cite news|date=November 12, 2007|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cher-presents-love-sees-no-color-premiere-at-los-angeles-fundraiser-party-59839397.html |title=Cher Presents ''Love Sees No Color'' Premiere at Los Angeles Fundraiser Party|agency=[[PR Newswire]]|access-date=January 18, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106034827/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cher-presents-love-sees-no-color-premiere-at-los-angeles-fundraiser-party-59839397.html |archive-date=January 6, 2016}}</ref> The annual Cher's Family Retreat is held each June to provide craniofacial patients and their families an opportunity to interact with others with similar experiences. She supports the Get A-Head Charitable Trust, which aims to improve the quality of life for people with head and neck diseases.<ref name=Philanthropy/>

Cher is a donor, fundraiser and international spokesperson for [[Keep a Child Alive]], which seeks to combat [[HIV/AIDS|AIDS]], including providing [[antiretroviral medicine]] to children and their families.<ref name=Philanthropy/> In 1996, she hosted the [[American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR)]] Benefit alongside [[Elizabeth Taylor]] at the Cannes Film Festival.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T2MEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA64 |magazine=[[The Advocate (magazine)|The Advocate]] |title=Cher – ''The Advocate'' interview by Chastity Bono |first=Chaz |last=Bono |author-link=Chaz Bono |date=August 20, 1996 |access-date=January 18, 2016}}</ref> In 2015, she received the amfAR Award of Inspiration for "her willingness and ability to use her fame for the greater good" and for being "one of the great champions in the fight against AIDS".<ref name=amfaraward>{{cite web |url=http://www.amfar.org/In-The-Spotlight/Press-Releases/CHER,-FELIPE-DINIZ-and-JEAN-PAUL-GAULTIER-HONORED-AT-FIFTH-ANNUAL-INSPIRATION-GALA--SÃO-PAULO/ |title=Cher, Felipe Diniz and Jean Paul Gaultier Honored at Fifth Annual Inspiration Gala São Paulo |publisher=[[amfAR]] |access-date=January 18, 2016 |date=April 11, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131210411/http://www.amfar.org/In-The-Spotlight/Press-Releases/CHER,-FELIPE-DINIZ-and-JEAN-PAUL-GAULTIER-HONORED-AT-FIFTH-ANNUAL-INSPIRATION-GALA--S%C3%83O-PAULO/ |archive-date=January 31, 2016}}</ref>

[[File:21 - Cher-002 (17107158346).jpg|upright|thumb|left|alt=Cher, in a black lace top and blazer, with long, wavy dark hair, looks to the side with her tongue slightly out.|Cher at an [[amfAR]] event, 2015]]

Cher has served as the Honorary National Chair of [[Habitat for Humanity]]'s "Raise the Roof" fundraising initiative, aimed at supporting the construction and repair of affordable homes for families in need.<ref name=Philanthropy/> In 2007, Cher became the primary supporter of the Peace Village School (PVS) in [[Ukunda]], Kenya, which "provides nutritious food, medical care, education and extracurricular activities for more than 300 orphans and vulnerable children".<ref name=Philanthropy/> Her support enabled the school to acquire land and build permanent housing and school facilities and in partnership with [[Malaria No More]] and other organizations, she piloted an effort to eliminate [[malaria]] mortality and morbidity for the children, their caregivers and the surrounding community.<ref name=Philanthropy/>

In 2016, after the discovery of [[Flint water crisis|lead contamination in the drinking water of Flint, Michigan]], Cher donated more than 180,000&nbsp;bottles of water to the city.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]] |url=http://www.vogue.com/13389707/cher-flint-water-crisis/ |title=In Praise of Cher's Response to the Flint Water Crisis |date=January 20, 2016|first=Lynn |last=Yaeger |access-date=January 22, 2016 |author-link=Lynn Yaeger |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122155843/http://www.vogue.com/13389707/cher-flint-water-crisis/ |archive-date=January 22, 2016}}</ref> During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cher launched the CherCares Pandemic Resource and Response Initiative (CCPRRI) alongside [[Irwin Redlener|Dr. Irwin Redlener]], the head of [[Columbia University]]'s Pandemic Resource and Response Center, to distribute $1&nbsp;million to "chronically neglected and forgotten people" through the [[Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF)]]. Cher told ''Billboard'', "There are rural areas where people of color and Latinos and Native Americans were getting no services. It's not a lot of money—$1 million goes in the blink of an eyelash!—so now I'm trying to get my friends to make it a lot more so we can do something that will really meet people's needs."<ref name=coronavirus/>

In 2017, Cher weighed in on the need to protect elder rights as she executive produced ''[[Edith+Eddie]]'', a documentary about a nonagenarian interracial couple, which was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Documentary Short]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cher-edith-eddie-they-were-not-treated-like-people-1087030 |title=Cher on ''Edith+Eddie'': 'They Were Not Treated Like People' |magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=February 23, 2018 |access-date=August 10, 2020 |archive-date=August 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807124448/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cher-edith-eddie-they-were-not-treated-like-people-1087030 |url-status=live}}</ref> That same year, she co-founded Free the Wild, an international charity dedicated to protecting wild animals in captivity.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fundraiso.com/en/organisations/free-the-wild |title=Free the Wild |website=Fundraiso |date=July 25, 2017 |access-date=December 2, 2024 |archive-date=December 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241207211001/https://www.fundraiso.com/en/organisations/free-the-wild |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Daw |first=Stephen |title=This Artist Is Selling Portraits of Cher to Help Animals in Captivity |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=March 4, 2020 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/cher-portraits-free-the-wild-9328036/ |access-date=December 2, 2024 |archive-date=December 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241207164006/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/cher-portraits-free-the-wild-9328036/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2020, Free the Wild partnered with [[Four Paws|Four Paws International]], prompting Cher to travel to [[Pakistan]] to advocate for and work with the country's government for the transfer of [[Kaavan]], an elephant confined to a zoo for 35 years, to a wildlife sanctuary in [[Cambodia]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/cher-rescue-elephant-zoo-pakistan |publisher=[[Fox News]] |date=November 27, 2020 |title=Cher helps rescue world's 'loneliest elephant' from zoo in Pakistan |agency=[[Associated Press]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210111249/https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/cher-rescue-elephant-zoo-pakistan |archive-date=December 10, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> This effort was chronicled in the documentary ''[[Cher & the Loneliest Elephant]]'', released on [[Paramount+]] in 2021, which detailed her collaboration with animal aid groups and veterinarians to free Kaavan.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=March 24, 2021|title='Cher & The Loneliest Elephant' to Premiere on a Very Fitting Day|url=https://www.billboard.com/culture/tv-film/cher-loneliest-elephant-premiere-dates-9545388/|access-date=March 30, 2021|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|archive-date=November 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117013725/https://www.billboard.com/culture/tv-film/cher-loneliest-elephant-premiere-dates-9545388/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Cher's older child, Chaz Bono, first came out as a lesbian at age 17, which reportedly caused Cher to feel "guilt, fear and pain".{{sfn|Bernstein|2003|p=166}} She later accepted Chaz's sexual orientation and came to the conclusion that LGBTQ people "didn't have the same rights as everyone else, [and she] thought that was unfair".{{sfn|Plumez|2002|p=182}} Cher was the keynote speaker for the 1997 national Parents, Families, & Friends of Lesbians and Gays ([[PFLAG]]) convention and has since become one of the LGBTQ community's most vocal advocates.{{sfn|Plumez|2002|p=182}} In May 1998, she received the [[GLAAD Vanguard Award]] for having "made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for lesbians and gay men".<ref name=vanguard>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GGQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA10 |magazine=[[The Advocate (magazine)|The Advocate]] |title=Quote, unquote |date=May 26, 1998 |access-date=January 18, 2016}}</ref> On June 11, 2009, Chaz came out as a [[transgender]] man and his transition from female to male was legally finalized on May 6, 2010.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 6, 2010 |title=Chaz Bono Granted Name, Gender Change |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chaz-bono-granted-name-gender-change/ |publisher=[[CBS News]] |archive-date=May 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240527140920/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chaz-bono-granted-name-gender-change/ |url-status=live |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref>