Village People founder reveals why he lets Donald Trump use ‘Y.M.C.A.,’ denies it is “gay anthem”

Village People founder and singer Victor Willis has revealed why he lets Donald Trump use ‘Y.M.C.A.,’ while denying the common sentiment that it is a “gay anthem”.

In a Facebook post shared yesterday (December 2), Willis – who sang lead vocals on the track, and is listed as a co-songwriter – talked at length about the song.

He explained why he now has had a change of heart – in 2021, Willis shared his relief that, upon Trump’s loss to President Joe Biden then, “it would seem his abusive use of our music has finally ended”. Willis prefaced that, since 2020, he has received “over a thousand complaints” since Trump had begun using the song on his presidential campaign trail.

However, Willis now has had a change of heart: “By the time I said to my wife one day, hey, “Trump” seems to genuinely like ‘Y.M.C.A.’ and he’s having a lot of fun with it.”

“As such, I simply didn’t have the heart to prevent his continued use of my song in the face of so many artists withdrawing his use of their material. So I told my wife to inform BMI to not withdraw the Trump campaign political use license.”

In 2020, Willis said he felt forced to act by asking Trump to stop using the song after Trump seemingly threatened to shoot Black Lives Matter protestors in Minneapolis.

Willis is co-songwriter of ‘Y.M.C.A.’ alongside French music producer Jacques Morali, who died in 1991. “My French partners were contemplating legal action out of France,” Willis continued. “So I had my wife contact our French partners and asked them to stay out of the Trump campaign’s use of Y.M.C.A. because it is a U.S. matter, and I will make the decision on his use.”

The singer revealed that the song has “benefited greatly from use by the President Elect”, citing its re-emergence on the Billboard charts at #1. Per The Telegraph, ‘Y.M.C.A.’ climbed the Billboard dance/electronic sales chart on November 5 – the US polling day – and hit number one following Trump’s victory the week of November 17.

“The financial benefits have been great as well as ‘Y.M.C.A.’ is estimated to gross several million dollars since the President Elect’s continued use of the song,” Willis explained. “Therefore, I’m glad I allowed the President Elect’s continued use of ‘Y.M.C.A.’ And I thank him for choosing to use my song.”

However, Willis’ post does not end there, as he has another issue to address: that of ‘Y.M.C.A.’ being “somehow a gay anthem”.

“As I’ve said numerous times in the past, that is a false assumption based on the fact that my writing partner was gay, and some (not all) of Village People were gay, and that the first Village People album was totally about gay life,” Willis wrote.

In a 2017 interview with News.com.au, Willis stated that ‘Y.M.C.A.’ was “not written to be a gay song because of the simple fact I’m not gay”.

His answers back then reflect the sentiment in his Facebook post now: “When I say, “hang out with all the boys” that is simply 1970s black slang for black guys hanging-out together for sports, gambling or whatever. There’s nothing gay about that.”

Willis believes the use of ‘Y.M.C.A.’ as a gay anthem “based on the fact that gays once used certain YMCA’s for elicit activity” is “completely misguided” in “the assumption that the song alludes to that”.

He then stated that, from January 2025 onwards, his wife will take legal action against “each and every news organization” that “falsely” refers to the song as a gay anthem. However, he added, “I don’t mind that gays think of the song as their anthem.”

“The song is not really a gay anthem other than certain people falsely suggesting that it is,” Willis concluded. “And this must stop because it is damaging to the song.”

In other news, guitar brand Gibson recently handed a cease and desist notice to Trump Guitars, which touts an endorsement from President-elect Donald Trump, for “infringing upon Gibson’s exclusive trademarks, particularly the iconic Les Paul body shape.”