The Insider.com

The controversial Courtney Love is no stranger to tough times, and now she's giving back by performing at a benefit for the LGBT community, many of whom are street survivors, in Los Angeles on Saturday, May 19.

• May 10, 2012Amber Riley's 'Glee' Goodbye Was 'Misconstrued'
• May 10, 2012Meet Playboy's 2012 Playmate of the Year
• May 10, 2012Nicki Minaj Talks Having a Baby
• May 10, 2012Ali & Mariska's Girl-On-Girl Liplock
• May 10, 2012Stern Slams 'Idol' & The PTC
• May 10, 2012Kris Jenner Dishes on New 'Keeping Up' Season

Related: Say What?! Courtney Love Apologizes to Daughter

"This resonates very heavily with me; it's all glamorous now, but I was living on the street," says Courtney of her first days in Hollywood. "I tried begging. I was really bad at it."

The rocker says of young people who are trying to make it one day at a time in Los Angeles, "If you're gay, or you're lesbian, or transgender, the more outside you are, the more screwed you are in a lot of ways. … I stripped. Everybody knows that. … My point is that I survived it and thrived through it, but I only did it because I had great friends … These kids from Iowa, they aren't so lucky."

The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's "An Evening with Women," held May 19 at the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel, finds Courtney performing as part of a line-up that includes the event's co-chair/musician Linda Perry (keeping Courtney in line with a whip in the above video), Aimee Mann, the all-star band Camp Freddy (which includes Dave Navarro, Billy Morrison, Chris Chaney, Matt Sorum and Donovan Leitch) and comedian Wanda Sykes.

Video: Inside Courtney Love's Closet

Known for years as L.A.'s premiere event for lesbians, bisexual women and their allies, Kat Von D will also join the all-star lineup for a performance and DJ Samantha Ronson will be spinning for the crowd during the high-energy after-party.

"An Evening with Women" benefits The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's vital services for women and girls, including: food and shelter for homeless youth; services for seniors; legal assistance; domestic violence services; health and mental health services and cultural arts programs. Last year's event raised more than $365,000 for these vital services.