Village People star insists ‘YMCA’ is not about ‘illicit gay sex’ – and threatens to sue anyone who says otherwise

Village People‘s Victor Willis has spoken out about his band’s most iconic song ‘Y.M.C.A’ to clarify it is not about “illicit gay sex”.

The 1978 song was taken from the band’s album Cruisin’ and reached Number Two in the US and topped the charts in the UK.

Speaking out in a Facebook post this week, Victor said: “NOTICE ABOUT Y.M.C.A: News and Twitter trending of Y.M.C.A. is off the chart right now with false accusations about the song.

“But as I’ve said numerous times before (and this was proven in federal court), I wrote 100% of the lyrics to Y.M.C.A., so I ought to know what my song is about.

The Village People in the music video for Y.M.C.A. (Picture: YouTube)

“Y.M.C.A. is one of the most iconic songs in the world. I will not stand idle and allow it to be defamed.

“Therefore, I will sue the next media organization, or anyone else, that falsely suggests Y.M.C.A. is somehow about illicit gay sex. Get your minds out of the gutter please! It is not about that!”

Y.M.C.A. stands for Young Men’s Christian Association. A global youth organisation, it was founded in 1844 and now has 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries.

One aspect of the organisation’s work is offering temporary housing to those on low incomes.

Lyrics to the song Y.M.C.A. include: “It’s fun to stay at the YMCA/They have everything for you men to enjoy/You can hang out with all the boys.”

Village People are also known for hits like In the Navy, Macho Man and San Francisco.

In a retrospective of the band’s work for Attitude in 2018, writer Juno Dawson said: “Since the Seventies, there has been a revolving door for members but to my knowledge only two of the original Village People were out as gay: Filipe Rose (the Native American) and Randy Jones (the cowboy).

“A little like the Pussycat Dolls, Village People were dancers formed around lead singer Victor Willis (the cop/naval officer) who, for a time, was married to The Cosby Show actress Phylicia Ayers-Allen (now Rashad).

“The Svengali behind the group was French disco producer Jacques Morali, and he was gay. Already a minor success in his field, he was inspirated while at gay ball ‘Les Mouches’ in New York’s Greenwich Village.

“Seeing the various gay tribes — leathers, uniforms, jock — he decided to form a band designed to appeal to a gay audience. This was the Seventies — those last care-free days before HIV and AIDS took hold.

“When he received a demo tape of Willis’s vocals, Morali decided to base the act around him.”