Steve Bull once raced agast time to try to save the memoirs of one of Mae's gay rights pneers. His trip led him down memory lane.
Contents:
- THE REAL STORY OF THE YMCA THAT INSPIRED THE VILLAGE PEOPLE'S GAY ANTHEM
- IS Y.M.C.A. REALLY A GAY SONG? THE MEANG OF THE LYRICS
- HAPPY PRIDE! HOW “Y.M.C.A.” BEME A GAY ANTHEM!
- RACG TO PRERVE THE HISTORY OF MAE’S 1ST GAY RIGHTS ANIZATN
THE REAL STORY OF THE YMCA THAT INSPIRED THE VILLAGE PEOPLE'S GAY ANTHEM
* ymca lgbt *
To celebrate and support the LGBTQ+ (lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer, other dimensns of genr inty and alli) muny and honor the history of the LBGTQ+ movement.
IS Y.M.C.A. REALLY A GAY SONG? THE MEANG OF THE LYRICS
On June 28, 1969, ctomers were socializg at the Stonewall Inn New York Cy, which had been patronized mostly by gay men sce 1966. Learn more and accs rourc om the Gay, Lbian & Straight Edutn Network (GLSEN) and the Trevor Project. In the 40 years sce the Village People released “YMCA, ” the song has bee a cultural touchstone: a gay anthem famo for s nuendos and double entendr about young, f men “havg a good time, ” as well as a staple at Yanke gam and bar song has also immortalized the Young Men's Christian Associatn pop culture.
Yet former rints of the McBurney Y Chelsea — the buildg that spired the song, and which was featured the vio released late 1978 — say the realy of stays at the YMCA those days was more plited than the lyrics portray, wh gay culture and workg-class workouts existg a sgle munal space. “There was certaly a party aspect to their vio and that time was the height of all the gay clubs Chelsea, ” rells Davidson Garrett, who lived at the McBurney Y om 1978 through 2000.
HAPPY PRIDE! HOW “Y.M.C.A.” BEME A GAY ANTHEM!
“[The YMCA] did have some overlappg of gay cisg.
RACG TO PRERVE THE HISTORY OF MAE’S 1ST GAY RIGHTS ANIZATN
Garrett adds unrgraduate stunts and disabled men to the mix of ethnilly and racially diverse renters, about half of whom he timat were gay.
Often gay and their 20s or 30s, the weekend guts ed the YMCA “as a drsg room, ” and as a place to discreetly hook up, Garrett says.