‘YMCA’ by the Village People is now a MAGA anthem. As much as lead singer Victor Willis says the band is not political, focusing only on the music, they performed the track at Trump’s inauguration.

The performance left much to be desired. They walked on stage, and it seemed they weren’t sure which mic to use. In addition to technical issues at the beginning, Willis’s singing was breathless and gravelly, and the dancers seemed to be on different levels. 

President-elect Donald Trump dances as the Village People perform “Y.M.C.A.” at a rally ahead of the 60th presidential inauguration, Jan. 19, 2025, in Washington.https://t.co/KbTdTydiUL#voainauguration2025 pic.twitter.com/G5zJ5oeZlJ

— Voice of America (@VOANews) January 20, 2025

Willis, the band’s sole owner, was initially against Trump using ‘YMCA’ and ‘Macho Man’ during his election campaigns in 2016 and 2020, but changed his mind for the 2025 inauguration, saying, “The financial benefits have been great as well, as ‘YMCA’ is estimated to gross several million dollars since the President-elect’s continued use of the song.”

Victor Willis wrote some of the Village People’s songs with Jacques Morali (himself a gay man) and Henri Belolo. Morali and Belolo came up with the idea for the band of singers and dancers when visiting America and attending gay parties, seeing the macho drag. 

They formed the band along with Willis in 1977. The music and the band were designed to target the LGBTQ+ community as they welcomed camp costumes and new sounds. As their single ‘Macho Man’ rose to fame, people outside of the LGBTQ+ community did not recognise its camp qualities and just saw men trying to be, well, macho. 

The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) is a support institution that creates housing and recreation for veterans, unhoused people, and more. The song ‘YMCA’ implies that these places were used for more than just that. The song implies that these centres are used as hook-up sites for gay men: “Have a good time… hang out with all of the boys.” 

In early 1979, ‘YMCA’ reached No.2 in America but topped the charts in 15 other countries, including Ireland for nine weeks. This song sold more than 10 million physical copies, one of the few singles to do that.

Willis left the band in 1979, attempting to succeed as a solo artist. Even so, in the early 2010s, he won 50% of the royalties and ownership of the band. Willis is now the sole owner. He rejoined the band and replaced the members, and is attempting to rebrand the songs. 

Willis has stated that he will sue news organisations that call ‘YMCA’ a “gay anthem”. Past members of the Village People have not spoken out about Willis’ decision, as they have said he is “quite litigious.”

Willis now claims that ‘YMCA’ was never a gay anthem and never meant to have gay innuendos. “When I say ‘hang out with all the boys,’ that was simply 1970s Black slang for Black guys hanging out together for sports, gambling or whatever, there’s nothing gay about that.” 

More recently, Willis sent Australian comedian Jim Jefferies a cease and desist letter after discussing the song on his At This Moment podcast. Jim received a letter from Karen Willis, Victor’s wife. The letter stated that Jefferies’ referral to the song was an “obscene, derogatory and false description” and “That is not the actual meaning of his lyrics. Nor is there anywhere in the lyrics that would even remotely suggest such.”

 

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A post shared by Jim Jefferies (@jimjefferies)

While Willis said Jefferies had to retract the statement by March 17, Jim said, “What’s obviously happened here is Victor Willis has made a lot of money over the years from the gay community.” Jefferies said that his lawyer wants to go to court “as it is a freedom of speech issue.”

It was certainly a shock to people that ‘YMCA’ was performed at Trump’s inauguration. Some from the LGBTQ+ community feel that the Village People have turned their backs on them, the people who helped catapult the band to popularity.