There were no cameras, but there was security, and it was very quiet. “At first I came to a 32nd Street residency, but a guy who lived there told me it was cheaper at McBurney,” says Joseph Kangappadan, a former MTA and Post Office employee who began staying at the McBurney YMCA in 1969 after immigrating from England. Garrett adds undergraduate students and disabled men to the mix of ethnically and racially diverse renters, about half of whom he estimates were gay. Paul Groth, the author of Living Downtown: The History of Residential Hotels in the United States, notes that some of those occupying single room residences in the ‘70s would have somewhat resembled the men pictured in the video - in their 20s or 30s, a mix of white-collar and blue-collar residents, along with retired seniors and veterans. Several months after Garrett moved in, the Village People filmed exterior shots of the McBurney branch for the “YMCA” video. “It was in that room where I was able to finish my college education, where I was able to do acting auditions and work in the theater and know that I had a place to come back to that wasn’t going to cost an arm and a leg to pay for.” “It turned out that I actually liked room living,” Garrett said. The temporary arrangement became a 22-year stay.
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It was around May 1978 when part of the ceiling of Garrett’s Hell’s Kitchen one-bedroom apartment fell in, and the then 26-year-old actor and taxi driver put down $40 for what was supposed to be a week stay at the McBurney Y. But it was a serious gym for people who really wanted to go and work out every day, and a nice place to live for working-class people.” “ did have some overlapping of gay cruising.
“There was certainly a party aspect to their video and that time was the height of all the gay clubs in Chelsea,” recalls Davidson Garrett, who lived at the McBurney Y from 1978 through 2000.
Yet former residents of the McBurney Y in Chelsea - the building that inspired the song, and which was featured in the video released in late 1978 - say the reality of stays at the YMCA in those days was more complicated than the lyrics portray, with gay culture and working-class workouts coexisting in a single communal space. The song has also immortalized the Young Men's Christian Association in pop culture. LED boards at the stadiums highlighted Rainbow Laces and our social media channels featured a rainbow Premier League logo and promoted the campaign.In the 40 years since the Village People released “YMCA,” the song has become a cultural touchstone: a gay anthem famous for its innuendos and double entendres about young, fit men “having a good time,” as well as a staple at Yankees games and bar mitzvahs. There were also rainbow captain's armbands and rainbow laces. Our clubs also came together between 27 November and 2 December to celebrate Stonewall's 2021/22 Rainbow Laces campaign and show support for all LGBT people in football and beyond.Īt all Premier League fixtures across the two Matchweeks, there were bespoke Rainbow Laces pitch flags, ball plinths, handshake boards and substitutes boards. That's why we, the Premier League, proudly stand alongside Stonewall in promoting equality and diversity.Ī key focus of the partnership with Stonewall encourages LGBT+ acceptance among children and young people involved in community and education initiatives such as Premier League Primary Stars and Premier League Kicks, and within Academies.Ĭoaches, teachers and leaders are equipped with bespoke resources and programmes developed by the League and Stonewall which promote positive attitudes towards the LGBT+ community. Clubs and communities are stronger when everyone feels welcome, and it's down to all of us to make that happen.