The Real Story Of The YMCA That Inspired The Village People's Gay Anthem - Gothamist

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!
• ABOUT THE CENTERSCE 1983 THE CENTER HAS BEEN SUPPORTG, FOSTERG AND CELEBRATG THE LGBT MUNY OF NEW YORK CY. FD MORE RMATN ON AND OUR WORK ABOUT THE CENTER. VIS ABOUT THE CENTEROUR MISSNCYBER CENTERCENTER HISTORYRACE EQUYMEDIA CENTERLEARSHIP & STAFFEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNICORPORATE PARTNERSHIPSANNUAL REPORTS & FANCIAL INFORMATNCONTACT USHOURS & LOTNSEMAPSUPPORT THE CENTER
• THE 5 BEST MOSW GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MOSW
• GAY MOSW MOSW CY GUI
• TMP EXPLAS HIS LOVE OF ‘Y.M.C.A.,’ WHICH HE CLAIMS IS THE ‘GAY NATNAL ANTHEM’

THE REAL STORY OF THE YMCA THAT INSPIRED THE VILLAGE PEOPLE'S GAY ANTHEM

(CN) - A married uple claim a class actn that YMCAs, which advertise themselv as safe for fai, wh "Christian valu, " are actually "brothels" for homosexual men "cisg" for sexual relatnships, who subject members to unwanted advanc. But Keister says the YMCA misleads ctomers through s marketg mpaigns, cultivatg a false image of plac wh "high ethil standards and Christian valu, " when fact they tolerate "cisg" for homosexual relatnships and allow members to be subjected to unwanted sexual advanc. "On Cisg Gays, for example, is remend that cisers 'start strokg the sna or shower and look for a rponse.

' In addn, Cisg Gays remends that at YMCAs, cisers 'go the sna wh jt your towel wrapped around you, shift yourself around a few tim to see if. 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.

IS Y.M.C.A. REALLY A GAY SONG? THE MEANG OF THE LYRICS

“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. 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.

Meanwhile, hoekeepers me not jt to offer towels and change your sheets, but to keep an eye on you, Kangappadan of the song’s charm, of urse, is s petg terpretatns: It n be read equally well as a celebratn of gay culture or of the workg man.

And as a Sp oral history revealed on the song's 30th anniversary ten years ago, even the group self didn't agree on the proper Hodo (“the nstctn worker”) sisted to Sp that Jacqu Morali, the French producer who helped create the group and -wrote the song wh lead sger Victor Willis (“the p”), certaly had the gay muny md when he me up wh the song. There’s nothg gay about them.

ABOUT THE CENTERSCE 1983 THE CENTER HAS BEEN SUPPORTG, FOSTERG AND CELEBRATG THE LGBT MUNY OF NEW YORK CY. FD MORE RMATN ON AND OUR WORK ABOUT THE CENTER. VIS ABOUT THE CENTEROUR MISSNCYBER CENTERCENTER HISTORYRACE EQUYMEDIA CENTERLEARSHIP & STAFFEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNICORPORATE PARTNERSHIPSANNUAL REPORTS & FANCIAL INFORMATNCONTACT USHOURS & LOTNSEMAPSUPPORT THE CENTER

”Jon, who was a Y member at the time, sists to Gothamist that the band's artistic tent wasn’t to produce a gay anthem. “But if you happen to be a gay man and have the experience and perspective of hookg up wh each other, ’s another way n be perceived. 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.

THE 5 BEST MOSW GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MOSW

On June 28, 1969, ctomers were socializg at the Stonewall Inn New York Cy, which had been patronized mostly by gay men sce 1966.

GAY MOSW MOSW CY GUI

Learn more and accs rourc om the Gay, Lbian & Straight Edutn Network (GLSEN) and the Trevor Project. Is at the same time the most famo gay anthem the history of mic and one of the bt known dis songs ever.

TMP EXPLAS HIS LOVE OF ‘Y.M.C.A.,’ WHICH HE CLAIMS IS THE ‘GAY NATNAL ANTHEM’

Composed practilly by chance by Village People and released 1978, the song quickly beme a huge succs, both the gay muny of the time and subsequently any ntext where you need a song to get people gog, be at a weddg, a nightclub or a the Village People ed to do their songs, YMCA’s lyrics nta several allns that n be easily noticed by a gay dience. Apparently was also an easy way for young homosexuals to meet other peers when you were new the cy, and this ed the entire homosexual muny to set up as a muny the years, Village People have often been asked if Y.

’s lyrics explicly geared to double meangs that uld be weled by gay dienc. And although the band were openly gay and tend to target that specific dience whenever they uld, lyrics’ thor and Village People founr Victor Willis means as a song about cln and social relatnships of young people new to the neighborhood. As he stat  this 2017 terview:“YMCA was not wrten to be a gay song bee of the simple fact I’m not gay.

I’m happy the gay muny adopted as their anthem, I have no qualms wh that.