What memers of the village people were gay

45 years of the Village People’s ‘YMCA’, the first wonderful gay anthem in history

If there is a song that is directly linked with homosexual themes, it is YMCA., the immortal theme of the Village People. It was published in November 1978 and It was the only single from their third studio album Cruisin. The organization was born in New York in 1977 and, among other things, was characterized by its costumes and the infectious rhythm of its songs.

Its creators, the French producers Jacques Morali, They assembled a organization whose objective was to attract the gay public, parodying the stereotypes of the group. It was, therefore, a planned and studied project. Its first members were: Víctor Willis (the policeman), Felipe Rose (the Indian), David Hodo (the worker), Alex Briley (the soldier), Glenn Hughes (the motorcyclist) and Randy Jones (the cowboy). Its name refers to the Unused York district of Greenwich Village.a key area for the homosexual liberation movement.

The song corresponds to the acronym of Young Men’s Christian Association, an ancient Christian association that provides temporary housing for young men. The Village People they sing ab

Days after original Village People singer and songwriter, Victor Willis, threatened to sue news outlets for explaining their 1978 hit “Y.M.C.A.” as a gay anthem, the group’s longtime construction worker, David Hodo, has hit back, saying that it is.

On Facebook earlier this week, Willis threatened to take legal activity against “each and every news organization” that refers to the song as a “gay anthem” after January 2025, alleging that his lyrics have elongated been misconstrued and that the association has develop “damaging.” He also defended Donald Trump’s usage of the track, claiming that the President Elect “seems to genuinely like ‘Y.M.C.A.’” and that Village People have grossed “several million dollars since the President Elect’s continued use of the song.”

But Hodo — who began performing as the construction worker in 1977 and sang backing vocals on “Y.M.C.A.” — has made a announce of his own, clarifying that the song does indeed make intentional references to gay culture.

'Nothing gay about it': How Trump and Village People connect

During the 2016, 2020 and 2024 US presidential election campaigns, the list of musicians who voiced their opposition to their songs being used by Donald Trump was distant, ranging from ABBA to the White Stripes, and — at some indicate — the Village People.

In June 2020, the band's frontman, Victor Willis, publicly objected to the Trump campaign's use of Village People songs at his rallies. Criticizing Trump's threat to apply military force against Jet Lives Matter protesters, Willis then wrote on Facebook, "Sorry, but I can no longer look the other way."

Money talks

But Willis later had a transform of tune, noticing that "Y.M.C.A." was enjoying renewed victory during the 2024 campaign: As Trump kept using the iconic hit at his rallies, the 46-year-old track spent several weeks at the top of Billboard's hottest-selling dance songs chart.

"The financial benefits acquire been great as adequately, as 'Y.M.C.A.' is estimated to gross several million dollars since the President-elect's continued use of the song," Willis acknowledged in a Facebook post in December 2024.

So now, the Village People are ready to

It was a bizarre sight watching a huge male lover 1970s disco hit entity performed at Donald Trump’s 2025 pre-inauguration rally. Many prominent artists from Beyoncé to Bruce Springsteen prohibit Trump from using their music. So why complete Village People – a band synonymous with the 1970s gay liberation movement – allow their tune to be associated with a political movement that has fixed and repressive ideas about sexual self and morality?

Village People’s recent incarnation has had a complicated relationship with the “make America great again” movement (Maga). In 2020, their song YMCA began featuring at Maga anti-lockdown rallies and soon became a prominent song in Trump’s re-election campaign.

At the time, the band asked Trump not to exploit its music and later supported Kamala Harris for the presidency in 2024. Since then Village People have dramatically changed tack.

To be clear, of the group that performed at Trump’s pre-inauguration rally, only one of the authentic Village People remains. The band, put together by the gay producers Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo in 1978, was named after New York’s Greenwich Village gay scene.

Looking for something good? Cut through the nois

Village People fans are only just realising the true sense behind YMCA
The international hit's lyricist has explained that the song – which has been widely misunderstood since its release in 1977– has nothing to do with the gay scene
The Village People exploded onto New York’s disco scene in 1977, with an instantly-recognisable look based on gay stereotypes, and a run of hit singles such as Macho Male, In the Navy and Go West, with lyrics that touched on the gay lifestyle. But don’t suggest that their biggest knock , YMCA, has anything to do with the gay scene, says founder member Victor Willis, who wrote the worldwide Number One’s lyrics.
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Willis maintains that the song is absolutely not a homosexual anthem, and has threatened legal activity against anyone who dares to recommend that it is. YMCA has approach to the fore in recent years after being adopted by incoming US president Donald Trump as his campaign theme song, and Trump regularly closes his rallies by performing a curious fist-pumping dance to the disco hit.
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The key line “You can hang out with all the boys” was widely interpreted at the time as organism a euphemism for gay hookups in the charity’s gyms and swimming po