It Takes a Village

Welcome back to Myths & Mischief! This is your Lovable Lord of Lore, today’s mischievous myth is…

Songs, like art, can take on a life of their own. In 1978, the Village People came out with the song “Y.M.C.A.” where they all performed in different characterized outfits. It has become part of mainstream culture, but many fail to understand why it is considered as the anthem for homosexuality and its historical context.

The YMCA started in England and arrived in America in the 1800s. It catered to men moving out on their own and attempting to better their lives in a safe space according to their three tiers, the mind, the body, and spirituality. From the 1880s to the 1970s it became a safe place for men to explore their sexuality without the knowledge and criticism of the outside world. Many who identified themselves as heterosexual outside of the YMCA were accepted inside the facilities as something else.

Sex scandals in Portland, Oregon (1912) and in Newport, Rhode Island (1919) changed their official position toward homosexual practices in their facilities, but since many of their workers and people in charge of discrimination against homosexual practices were either gay themselves, or enjoyed that atmosphere continued previous safe space practices.

Because of the appeal of self-improvement, a variety of men from different occupations used the YMCA as a social scene. This brought in men that were attracted to men from those occupations. The construction workers, policemen, naval officer, bikers, cowboys, Native Americans and soldiers were represented by the Village People, but really those were different subsets of identities that could be found at the YMCA.

After the 1970s, bars and other establishments became more popular for homosexuals. The YMCA is now geared more toward family involvement with mentoring and events that emphasize their 3 tiers.

The song is sung at baseball and basketball games, as well as political functions as seen as the current president’s go to songs as he dances along to the gay anthem while denouncing groups of Americans for having thoughts, feelings or identities that don’t fit into his vision of the world and are still subject to persecution.

Since the author, who was gay has passed away, the Village People have tried to distance their song from the “gay anthem notoriety emphasizing the inclusion of everyone to enjoy and dance. Much like the country’s history, the song Y.M.C.A. has been glossed over and exploited, which overshadows the texture of experiences that were had by various people in exchange for the pursuit of profit and power.