Donald Trump to be sued for using Village People’s YMCA – which definitely isn’t about gay sex – without permission
Village People (Andrew Chin/Getty) and Donald Trump (Alex Wong/Getty)
Donald Trump could be on the brink of being sued for using the Village People’s “YMCA” at campaign rallies.
The song – which, as we all know, is definitely not about gay sex – has been used repeatedly by the soon-to-be-former president at rallies, despite pleas from the Village People for him to stop using it.
On Tuesday, Donald Trump tweeted a haunting, disturbing mega-mix video of himself dancing to “YMCA” at various campaign rallies – and now lawyers for the Village People are planning to submit a complaint over his use of the song, Agence France-Presse reports.
In a statement, Jonathan Belolo, son of Village People founding member Henri Belolo, hit out at Trump for his “illicit appropriation” of the song, as reported by Huffington Post.
Jonathan Belolo, who is also president of the French record label Scorpio Music, said: “The beneficiaries of (band co-founders) Messrs Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo, like the company Scorpio Music, owner of the work, discovered with amazement this illicit appropriation, which is more for partisan and electoral purposes of Donald Trump, which they would never have accepted.”
The statement continued: “This infringing use of the ‘YMCA’ work will therefore be the subject of a complaint in the next few days, both in France and in the United States, against any initiator or accomplice of what constitutes outright theft of the property of others.
“As of now, they are banning anyone from disseminating the contentious video in question without their authorisation.”
Victor Willis, the only original member of the Village People, begged Trump in June to stop using their songs at rallies.
“I ask that you no longer use any of my music at your rallies especially ‘YMCA’ and ‘Macho Man’,” Willis wrote on his personal Facebook page at the time.
“Sorry, but I can no longer look the other way.”
“YMCA” is famously considered a gay anthem by many, but, while the song instructs a “young man” to stay at the YMCA where he will find “many ways to have a good time”, the song is absolutely not about gay sex.
No, it’s really not – at least, that’s according to Willis, who threatened in September to sue anyone who said it is about queer love.
“‘YMCA’ is one of the most iconic songs in the world. I will not stand idle and allow it to be defamed. Therefore, I will sue the next media organisation, or anyone else, that falsely suggests ‘YMCA’ is somehow about illicit gay sex,” he wrote on Facebook at the time.
“Get your minds out of the gutter please! It is not about that!”
