By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-01-20 18:41:24 | Updated at 2025-01-20 22:26:35
3 hours ago
After performing at Donald Trump’s pre-inauguration rally, the Village People underscored their journey from disco-era gay icons to Maga (Make America Great Again) favourites having seen their YMCA anthem co-opted by the US hard-right.
Trump used YMCA as a song to end his rallies during campaigning last year, with the billionaire property mogul developing his own trademark dance - a stiff shuffle of the hips and fist bumps at waist-high level.
Initially uneasy about being so closely associated with the Republican’s anti-immigrant agenda - many other musicians pulled their music from his rallies - the Village People have ended up embracing the attention.
Sunday night’s pre-inauguration event saw them don their high-camp construction worker, police officer, native American, GI, and biker outfits to perform at the Capital One Arena in Washington alongside Trump.
“First of all, our performances are not an indorsement (sic) of the President Elect’s policies no matter what you say to the contrary,” band member Victor Willis, who wrote the lyrics to YMCA, said in a Facebook post on January 16.
“Let’s give President Trump a chance, regardless of what you may have thought about him in the past,” he added. “Let’s see what he’s going to do moving forward and if he does things to restrict LGBTQ rights, Village People will be the first to speak out.”
