*Victor Willis, a founding member of the Village People, insists the hit song “YMCA” isn’t a “gay anthem” and he defended President-elect Donald Trump’s use of the track at rallies.
“Y.M.C.A. has benefited greatly from use by the President-elect,” the singer-songwriter wrote in a lengthy Facebook post on Monday. “For example, Y.M.C.A. was stuck at #2 on the Billboard chart prior to the President-elect’s use. However, the song finally made it to #1 on a Billboard chart after over 45 years (and held on to #1 for two weeks) due to the President-elect’s use.”
According to Willis, the song is “estimated to gross several million dollars” since Trump began using it while campaigning.
“Therefore, I’m glad I allowed the President-elect’s continued use of Y.M.C.A. And I thank him for choosing to use my song,” he added.
According to Willis, the song is not about the gay community.
“There’s been a lot of talk, especially of late, that Y.M.C.A. is somehow a gay anthem,” Willis wrote. “As I’ve said numerous times in the past, that is a false assumption based on the fact that my writing partner was gay, and some (not all) of Village People were gay, and that the first Village People album was totally about gay life.”
He continued, “This assumption is also based on the fact that the YMCA was being used as some sort of gay hangout, and since one of the writers was gay and some of the Village People are gay, the song must be a message to gay people. To that I say once again, get your minds out of the gutter. It is not.”
Willis added, “When I say, ‘hang out with all the boys’ that is simply 1970s Black slang for Black guys hanging out together for sports, gambling or whatever,” he said of one of the song’s most notable lyrics. “There’s nothing gay about that.”
The artist concluded: “The true anthem is Y.M.C.A.’s appeal to people of all [stripes] including President-elect Trump. But the song is not a gay anthem other than certain people falsely suggesting that it is. And this must stop because it is damaging to the song.”
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