Village People to 'Hang Out with All the Boys' at Trump's Inauguration

We would not consider it a "gay national anthem," especially in lieu of Willis's contention that it s not. But contextually it would appear the song has a strong connection to the queer world of 1978 when it was released. In the video for the song, Willis and the group perform it in front of the Ramrod, one of NYC's leading queer bars, as well as on the West Side Docks, known to be a cruising locale for gay men at the time. Two years later in the film "Can't Stop the Music," the song is used when its principals (Valerie Perrine, Caitlyn Jenner, Steve Guttenberg, and the Village People) visit a YMCA and "hang out with all the boys." The scene includes some hijinks in the shower, which give the lyric "you can do whatever you feel" new meaning.

Given the film was released as a wholesome family entertainment along the lines of "Grease," its gay context is largely of the "wink wink," subtextual nature. That is, it is there for those who were aware of it. As the website Meathook Cinema (curated by Simon Jones) pointed out in an essay last year: "But, the gayness is there, at first, in subtle sneaky ways like when Sam asks for a hankie to wipe her mouth after eating an ice cream. Randy Jones (the Cowboy) passes her the hankie from his back pocket (red, if you're wondering). . ."

The commentary continues: "And then after these tiny clinks of gayness here and there, the film decides to stage a dance routine for the band's big hit YMCA in, you've guessed it, the YMCA. And oh my! The sequence goes full-on, rainbow-flagged, chaps-wearing gay. And it's wonderful! Samantha is included in this scene because, y'know, it can't be homoerotic if a woman's involved! Either the filmmakers hadn't heard of fag-hags or they were FULLY aware (I'm hoping for the latter). She even changes into a t-shirt that is emblazoned with the slogan 'Macho Woman' on it. Quite. There are scenes of nude men in locker rooms, Samantha gets a massage from a hunk and we even get a scene of her in a hot tub with the band. This scene is also notable as the film sneaks in 'blink and you'll miss it' full-frontal male nudity. The MPAA didn't pick up on this and so the scene went through without a demand for it to be censored. That's punk rock for such a disco-oriented film."