Village People Star Says ‘YMCA’s Gay Anthem Label ‘Hurting’ Song

Victor Willis, who is best known for being a founding member of the Village People, is calling out the media for perpetuating the idea that “Y.M.C.A.” is a gay anthem.

We caught up with the songwriter on “this publication Live” Tuesday, where Victor elaborated on his feelings about his song’s reputation and its longtime ties to the LGBTQ+ community.

As he put it … he never intentionally wrote the song with the intention of it having a queer double entendre. While he has no problem with the LGBTQ+ community adopting the song, he’s frustrated with the media for repeatedly perpetuating the idea that track was crafted in order to be a gay anthem.

Per Victor, the media calling “Y.M.C.A.” a gay anthem for years is “hurting the song” … noting people will believe anything they’re told.

VW doubled down on his stance that the song is as much a heterosexual tune as it is a gay anthem … noting the number of times the single is played at weddings, bar mitzvahs and sporting events.

Of course, the “Y.M.C.A.” has been top of mind lately due to President-elect Donald Trump‘s frequent use of the song on the campaign trail … which Victor said he was fine with it since Trump seems to be a genuine fan of the track.

He noted … “It’s not like he politicized it, he just likes the song. So, I decided to let him go ahead and do what he did with the song — and it’s actually helped the song quite a bit.”

As for Donald’s dancing skills … he avoided criticizing DT directly, saying the President-elect “does his thing.”

Watch “this publication Live” today … check your local listings.