Is YMCA the ‘gay national anthem’ as Trump says? Village People say no
Donald Trump reckons YMCA is the ‘gay national anthem’ (Getty Images)
Donald Trump has once again declared that he’s popular with “the gays”. Speaking on Fox News about Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, who he nicknamed “Ayatollah Jr”, and whether or not he’s gay, the president got on to the “gay vote”.
Speaking via a phone call, Trump said: “I did very well with the gay vote. I even played the gay national anthem as my walk-off. And I think it probably helped me.
“But I did great. No Republican’s ever got the gay vote like I did, and I’m very proud of it. I think it’s great. Perhaps it’s because I’m from New York City, I don’t know. But the gay national anthem was my walk-off.”
What is the ‘gay national anthem’?
Well, according to Trump, it’s “YMCA” by the Village People – and it’s fair to say a lot of people would probably agree.
It was believed that the song’s lyrics were linked to the YMCA’s reputation as a cruising spot for younger gay men.
The lyrics are all about telling a “young man” that he doesn’t need to be sad because there’s somewhere he can go “to have a good time”. And where is that place? The YMCA, of course.
Why? “They have everything for young men to enjoy / You can hang out with all the boys,” and “You can do whatever you feel.”
The group was also intended for a gay audience, but became more mainstream eventually.
Is ‘YMCA’ actually the ‘gay national anthem’?
The answer is a firm no, according to songwriter Victor Willis, who was also a member of the Village People.
Willis has always said he did not intend for the song to be a gay anthem, doubling down in 2024.
When Trump started using the song as his walk-off, Willis explained he decided not to ask him to stop as the song had shot up in the charts and was “estimated to gross several million dollars” because of it.
In 2024, Willis said people needed to “get their minds out of the gutter” and said the “false assumptions were damaging to the song”.
He even went as far as saying: “My wife will start suing each and every news organisation that falsely refers to YMCA [as] a gay anthem.”
But he added: “I don’t mind that gays think of YMCA as their anthem.”
So, jury’s out, but we reckon Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” would be a better option.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
