Exploring the Wild Gay History of the YMCA
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 21 авг 2023
- Head to www.mykitsch.com/kaz and use my code KAZ to get 25% off your first order with Kitsch! Kitsch ships in the US and internationally to over 27 countries including Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and more!
Many of us have been to the YMCA via summer camp or through a gym membership, but for a century the Y was also an extremely popular gay cruising center-- against the Y's own wishes. Come learn with me about how gay men made the Y their safe space in a time when getting caught was a crime, and what changed.
Buy my graphic novel, Liberated: The Radical Art and Life of Claude Cahun: www.kazrowe.com/comics/cahun
shop.getty.edu/products/liber...
Find me on Twitter: / kazrowe
I'm on TikTok @ kazrowe
Find me on IG: / kaz.rowe
Buy my comics: gumroad.com/kazrowe
Send me a ko-fi: ko-fi.com/A347K4X
Read my webcomic: www.cunningfire.com/
Catch it on Tapas: tapas.io/series/cunning-fire
Line Webtoons: www.webtoons.com/en/challenge...
Captioning by Transcription, Ho! Captioning Services
Filmed using:
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4k- www.blackmagicdesign.com/prod...
Blackmagic Video Assist 5” HDR - www.blackmagicdesign.com/prod...
Olympus M. Zuiko ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro- www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
Samsung Portable SSD T5 - 2Tb- www.samsung.com/us/computing/...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sources
Gay New York by George Chauncey
Portland Vice Scandal (1912-1913) By Peter Boag for Oregon Encyclopedia www.oregonencyclopedia.org/ar...
American Sexual Histories edited by Elizabeth Reis
Rethinking Sexuality in the Progressive Era by Catherine Cocks
'MACHO TYPES WANTED': THE VILLAGE PEOPLE, HOMOPHOBIA, AND REPRESENTATION IN 1970s by ALEX MIDGLEY
Indecent Advances: A Hidden History of True Crime and Prejudice Before Stonewall By James Polchin
Men and Women Adrift: The YMCA and the YWCA in the City edited by Margaret Ann Spratt and Nina Mjagkij
History of Homosexuality in Europe and America edited by Stephen Donaldson and Wayne R. Dynes
Military masculinities : identity and the State by Paul R. Higate
Mates and lovers : a history of gay New Zealand by Chris Brickell
Capitalism and Gay Identity by John D’Emilio for The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader
Take the Young Stranger by the Hand: Same-Sex Relations and the YMCA by John Donald Gustav-Wrathall
Out of the Tubs, and Into the Streets! Tracing the history of bathhouse regulations in San Francisco, CA by Stephan Ferris
“YMCA opens door to gay families” from Globe & Mail, November 12, 1992
“Wanna buy a 'y'?” from The Advocate; Feb 14, 1973
It boggles the mind when through so much history straight people are like “I don’t care as long as you do it in private”, so gay people make a private place, then straight people go undercover to get in the private place and then go “I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO THIS WHERE I COULD SEE IT”
homophobes mind your own business challenge (impossible)
It’s so bizarre bc those are the same people saying “what happens in the house stays in the house” and then when we do stuff in our house they get outraged
Literally this, homophobes are like actively intrusive about queer people’s personal lives then tell us not to “shove it down their throats”. 💀💀 like all you have to do is leave us alone lmao
It boggles my mind that straight people have forced queer people to live entirely private lives but then go on to deny the existence of queer people in history because there is "lacking evidence" and vague wording from queer historical figures.
I think those who go undercover into other's spaces do very much care what the people there do in private.
Broke: YMCA is about drug addiction
Woke: YMCA is about the gays
Bespoke: YMCA is about a lost form of affordable housing
All of the above
i'm in awe of hearing of a place that catered to YOUNG PEOPLE to have affordable housing and easy access to food and various accommodations???? where the heck do i find something like that now?!
Drug addicted gays searching for affordable housing
intersectionality
We shouldn’t need to rely on the “good will” of either the Rich or the Religious to care for the needy among us; whether they’re in need economically or socially.
The YMCA still caters to both of those bad habits of ours … Capitalism and Christianity.
Petition to bring back “Young Men’s Cuddling Association” as a term of endearment
ikr? it's so cute lol
I would gladly join that. It sounds adorable.
cuddling is far underrated
Welp, I must've heard many times but consistently refused to remember that the word Christian is in there in the first place. It could fool me.
Nay. It creates of our men effeminate and priggish mollycoddles (or possibly mullycuddles).
"have an absolutely slammin time with a rockin twink" is now, officially, the greatest string of words to ever grace my ears
I literally just did that. And I can confirm it is indeed the highest plane of existence. I cannot imagine a world without grinder lol.
@@scottlangley5596it's pretty great...sometimes
I scrolled down here to make this comment. Absolute perfection.
"Sneaking mollycoddle" is, frankly, the most beautiful homophobic insult I've ever seen and we urgently need to revive and reclaim it.
It sounds like a Pikmin enemy more than an insult and thats gorgeous.
I love this phrase & I also love to refer to my 90% gay self as a Fop!!❤😂
Shut up you sneaking mollycoddle 💀
@@AmberAmber "🎶Fop. Finest in the shop.🎵"
😂❤
As a queer Christian, I never knew I needed an extensive video on how the Young Men’s Christian Association became super gay lol thank you Kaz!
Same!😄
Edit: I’m so happy that there are so many people in the comment section that are queer Christians! (I’ve always been called a contradiction by some in the LGBTQ+ community telling me to “pick a side” so if feel so validated knowing that there are others like me!😁😆☺️)
Why are you a Christian?
QUEER CHRISTIAN GANG LETS GOOOOOOOO 😆💕💕
Love seeing other queer Christians in the wild ⛪⛪🏳🌈🏳🌈
Much love to fellow Christian queers❤️❤️
fun fact: my gay manager lives in housing provided by the ywca and they keep trying to get rid of him but he's not about to give up his great rent. their reasoning is that it's for women who need it, but he's an old gay guy with diabetes and bad knees so like, I think him and his cat and too many books could really use it too.
Well, it's not like he's a danger to any of the women that also reside there, is it...😄
@@yvettescheiman4991well, he's probably much more fabulous and well read so might be a threat to one's self - esteem. My male gay friends bullied me if I dressed poorly 😂
@@yvettescheiman4991 I don't think he lives with anyone else
@@margodphd 😆
Need knows no gender. It's his home.
The YMCA/YWCA are still heavily engaged in trans and queer rights here in Canada. The YWCA was recently the target of TERFs here for having a number of speakers at their annual conference who were trans women, as well as several trans board members. But for the organization, the support of their trans members isn't up for debate.
As it should be. We're all just people and we should do our best to take care of each other because it's the right thing to do. It's shocking how quickly most people seem to forget that, if they ever even understand it in the first place.
That's awesome to hear! I wonder if the YMCA and YWCA are as supportive of trans rights here in the US?
@@electronics-girlthey 💯 are
ymca is the best employer i’ve ever had as a trans person in the u.s.
@@winterwatson6811 this is great to hear. I feared the worst knowing what the Salvation Army, another "we gotta have good christian rooms in stanky cities" type of organization has been lately about anything not cishet.
With some of parts of the world becoming so weirdly intolerant and backwards its so refreshing to know that despite the far rights many attempts , Queer history will never be forgotten
@@SashaBurgess1933they meant what they said🤭💅
assface@@SashaBurgess1933
@@SashaBurgess1933 why did you even click on this video if you're just gonna be an asshole?
I feel like it’s similar to how racism became more mainstream due to Trumpianism and a whitelash from Obama and BLM. As the pendulum swings one way, others try heavy to make it swing back further than it was before. They will try but ultimately lose.
@@SashaBurgess1933go eat a cheeseburgess alone
As an Indian I always thought that ymca is a college in arizona and that the song is their college anthem so this is eye opening for me 😭
Greatest comment I have ever read.
As a non-American who literally just found that YMCA is a real organization, this more delightful than when I found out that America really has yellow school buses and it's not just a movie thing.
Why would they create fake school buses for movies?
@@jerbear7952 idk! never put much thought into it lol
Wait till you find out the red cups in movies are real to!
@@jerbear7952its like not every Englishman rides a double decker bus, they exist but aren't prevailing necessarily, whereas most american children have ridden a yellow school bus 😊
@@jerbear7952 I mean, the pop culture image of vikings, pirates, cowboys and harems are completely fake and mostly come from movies. If such big concepts can be faked then why not buses?
Thanks for another great video and very interesting to me. I moved to NYC as a young homo in the post-Stonewall 70s and one of the first places I stayed was the McBurney Y. A few years later I would join the Navy, be stationed in Great Lakes and make lots of visits to the Y in Chicago ... they were very welcoming to service men. Lots of great memories and a great time to be young and gay. I lived out 2 Village People songs: In the Navy and YMCA... both were super gay!
this is so cool!!! thank you for your small part in history in makes my heart so joyous to hear about it
That's gay.
Ah Navy, 600 men sail out, 300 couples come back 😂❤
Damn,you really are gay🥸❤
I'm glad you survived the AIDS epidemic. You were in the risky age group.
The lead singer of the Village People didn't want the YCMA song to be about gay sex, the YMCA didn't want to be known for gay sex, and yet... here we are
But, it was.
The music video is just so damn suspicious. Look at their clothes...
See also... "In the Navy" which the US Navy were initially quite keen on, then backtracked..? allegedly..?
You're misguided. Lmfao!!
The Village People confuse me as people. As someone who lets information about them drift along to me, it's a steady stream of gay culture history crossover and then sudden public hostility to queer association.
I really appreciate that you are talking about gay communities outside of NY, San Francisco, and L.A. People often forget about the Midwestern enclaves of the queer community. 🏳️🌈❤️
Have you seen Small Town Gay Bar?
@@SiiriCressey oh. I've never heard of them. I do miss going to the gay bar in Rockford, Illinois when I lived there. I miss my home state.
@@ms_cartographer It's a movie.
@@SiiriCressey oh, cool. I'll have to see it!
I remember something about Douglas and Saugatuck Michigan being Gay enclaves.
This reminds me of my French Catholic grandma, who refused to believe the Village People had anything remotely gay about them.
Yep, Same with my Nana and Liberace.
Same with some admirals in the navy
Some people are just so in-denial of anything they like being queer that they would probably watch their daughter kissing a girl while grabbing their ass, and these dimwits would say "So when are you going to find a nice man and give me grandchildren?" I've seen plenty of people think Freddie Mercury can't be gay because he's handsome and talented.
Us of older generations understand it's not our business. She probably didn't want to or need to know it.
@@edie4321for the vast majority of the olds that is not true but glad you're an exception if only you would have been in your prime in the 90s you would have a point
My mother told me several times how her brother who was around 18 would get a room at the downtown Cincinnati Y during late 40s and 50s rather than driving all the way home on weekends. A drive which took all of about 30 minutes at most. 😆 🤣 😂
Funny enough he moved to California alone and remained a committed bachelor. Oye!!!!!
As a queer who grew up going to YMCA summer camps and had one physically attached to my high school… it brings me immeasurable joy to know I was gleefully singing about “sloppy toppy” even before I was out to myself 😂
What was the turning point that you came out to yourself, and accepted your true sexuality?
Super interesting but can we also give a round of applause for those LBJ/Lady Bird speech transcriptions because they had me HOWLING 🤣🤣🤣
the written accent transcripts KILLED ME, absolutely hilarious
It never occurred to me that I had no idea what the "C" in YMCA stood for. I'm not american so I first heard the song in my teen years and never really thought about it lol (btw, in Brazil it's also considered a gay song)
Literalmente tinha um programa da Globo chamado Macho Man que tinha a música de abertura
in México is also a gay song
I think that in every parte of latinoamérica is considered a gay song
É que a experiencia queer é toa universal que o gaydar de todo mundo apitou ouvindo a musica 🤭
if it makes you feel better, i’m an american and i didn’t know what the whole acronym stood for until this video
The funniest example of misinterpreted songs is totally Hozier's "Take Me to Church" to me, same with a song by Rainbow Kitten Surprise that got popular on tiktok kind of recently (I can't remember the name of the song, I just remember seeing christians use it when multiple members of that band are trans)
The lyrics of Take Me to Church are pretty on the nose. I first listened to it when I was around 11 and had no problem understanding the message even then. I really don't understand how that one flew over so many people's heads 😭
I’ll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies 😃🔫
The song is: It’s called Freefall
@actualgoblin the video is about gay ppl not the song.
@@serraangel7465No, the lyrics of Take Me to Church song are about sex. It wouldn't have to be about gay sex, just from listening to the song. It's definitely not about being a "good Christian."
See also: Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah.
Man, I bet my former boss would've had some stories about the YMCA in NZ... Sadly he's passed, and I've moved to another country anyway, but I will always fondly remember the story of how his wife and mother in law came home early from the horse-races one day and caught him in bed with another dude, in like, the 50s or so.
He ended up losing the house and the wife (his unwitting beard) but as a result he ended up (my fonder story of his) finding new, genuine love later on, and ran a gay-friendly 'adult lifestyle centre/shop' for well over a decade, mostly as a distraction from his partner's passing - he never bothered with anyone else, even though he definitely had at least one admirer!). That said he loved summer because that increased the chances of hot young male customers coming in shirtless to get a drink and/or buy/rent something. XD
One of the best bosses I've ever had; miss that salty-sweet fella every day.
i love little stories like this, ty
@@alwaystired1 you love women finding out the man they love actually doesn't care for them and catching him in an act of betrayal??
@@user-kh8kz4ck3z what a cynical person. try to be normal, maybe touch some grass, or call your mom.
@@user-kh8kz4ck3z Plenty of gay people who marry straight love their partners, just not sexually. Many don't even realize there's a difference until experiencing gay sex. I mean, plenty of straight guys love their wifes and still cheat anyway, it's at least more understandable to cheat when you're in a relationship that is your only option but also can never give you what you want.
@@user-kh8kz4ck3z YOU force gay men to live a lie then dare to complain that they lied to protect your feelings?
My middle school would bus all the kids who weren't in a sport off to the Y for PE, so my experience of being gay at the Y was just being a baby queer experiencing the horrors of forced physical education
Most gay and bi men like sports. Most are discreet about our sexuality, and just being our masculine selves. Effeminate males like you, are the MINORITY of gay and bi men. Thanks for forcing us to be ashamed and hide who we are, because we don't want to be misinterpreted as sissies.
It took me a long time to realize that YMCA was about cruising. I thought it was a protest about the YMCA not allowing gay people be members.
So, as a kid I only knew of the YMCA of a place for people to swim and yoga etc. I just thought it was about exercising and swimming 😂
@@benamisai-kham5892 For most peole, it is.
It was an ad for them... that also happened to be VERY gay. You gotta wonder if the guy who hired the Village People realized that or not.
As an Irish kid hearing it at kids parties in the early 2000s I legit just was like this is just a classic song with a great dance on just dance
@@benamisai-kham5892 I had heard about the rep. but I joined a couple of times for their pool. WHen I went there I was 100% focused on a workout, not cruising. No one bothered me as they could probably see I wasn't there for sex.
Ok, Kaz, the phrase “sloppy toppy” will now live rent free in my head forevermore.
I 😅😅😂 2:38
The subtitles for the conversation between LBJ and Lady Bird was hilarious. "AAAAAABE APPROOOOOVES OF THE JOOOOB AAWFFER🙄" had be cracking up LOOL
As a young straight man growing up in 1970s Britain the song was an eye opener. It was the first positive message I'd heard about gay people and culture.
True, I never thought of that.
The captions with emojis ("Aaaaabe approooooves of the job awffer") killed me good n dead thank you 💀👏🏻
Another well researched, entertaining and informative video. of course the follow up to YMCA was In The Navy which had been adopted by the USNavy for a recruiting campaign before the top brass were made aware of the barely concealed double entendres contained in the lyric including "they're signing up good seamen fast"... The US Navy had even allowed the group to film a promo video on board one of their ships.
That was a wild and hilarious...and probably not completely mistaken... mistake
Referenced beautifully in Down, Periscope!
The Navy is (and has always been) the gayest branch of the military. Can't help but think the person who decided to use the song knew EXACTLY what they were doing.
Navy vet here, though an airman, not a seaman(!). The Navy actually help seed San Francisco as a gay mecca during and after WW2. When a west coast gay sailor was outed he would be separated from the service at the navy base at Treasure Island. Many didn't want to go home with a dishonorable discharge so they remained in SF.
Very interesting fact. I had a chuckle at "Treasure island"- it conjures up all sorts! @@deirdre108
Young Man’s Cuddling Association sounds so wholesome, loving and adorable
I'm actually very thankful you're still reminding people to wear masks. I'm high risk and the pandemic hasn't really ended for me, even though it seems to have ended a while ago for everyone around me. thank you for helping to keep the practice normal even still
Yes! I am always so glad for the sign off, I haven't stopped masking because of health reasons and don't plan on stopping, potentially ever. It's so isolating and exhausting to be the only one in a mask, and Kaz's reminder always lifts my heart ❤
In the news, there were recent reports of a few variant. It pays to mask
I'm relatively healthy and still masking, both because I help to care for my elderly parents and because I personally haven't gotten covid yet and ... well, I'd prefer not to get it at all, especially now that it's so unlikely to be taken seriously. Plus I actually understand the concept of community responsibility, unlike ... everyone else I know, apparently. 🙃
I still wear my mask when shopping !
I wore a mask during the pandemic, but I'm not seeing very many people wearing masks now. I hope we don't have to go back to wearing masks. I've had four vaccinations. If there's a new booster shot available, I'd rather get the shot than wear a mask.
I really appreciate your work on this topic. I came out in the ‘80s and the baths were a part of that. I’ve been in two raids, one in a bathhouse, one in a gay bar. Not fun.
Straight 50 yr old lady here, it's hard to imagine that the U.S. government, that's supposed to reflect FREEDOM, was allowed to raid establishments just because of the decisions made in people's bedrooms. I'll never understand how anyone can think they have the right to tell anyone what to do with their own bodies! I'm glad you made it through those raids, and hopefully, you're healed from any traumas sustained!
@@YIKESMF Religion has an even worse effect on the innocent gays among us.
I could imagine. In the , where was that.
@garyallen8824💀💀💀💀💀 that’s wild
@@YIKESMF You said you'll never understand how anyone can think they have the right to tell anyone what to do with their own bodies. Right now, the US Supreme Court and many Republican-controlled state legislatures are telling women what they can do with their own bodies. I hope you're against that. I am.
VERY nicely done video! I am a Navy veteran, and in the early 1960's, was stationed for 2 years on shore duty at Norfolk, VA, which had a HUGE military presence and also a huge gay civilian presence! I used to spend the night some weekends at the large Navy YMCA there. I have been picked up numerous times in Norfolk. Loved the town! I did have to be very careful because the Navy was still having their gay witch hunts then, but I managed to make 5 years military service honorably as a closeted gay man.
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us!
I’m glad you made it work !
The fact that you can just casually say c*cksucker with elegance and grace is exactly why you are the PRO! Your videos are incredible ❤
I am so grateful you mentions the Compton's Cafeteria riots cause I am affiliated with the Transgender District in the Tenderloin.
As a third generation YMCA employee, sounds about right! My granddad can recall an open drag queen who was basically accepted by everyone living there in the 80s.
Noice.
This was a delight to watch. The gap in my life left by the absence of guiding elders is slowly being filled by history 🥰
I always forget how old this song is.
Brings back memories dancing
I have never had a gay experience at the ymca gym but i did do a summer camp there at age 11 and i had a crush on this other girl and i drew us as warrior cats cuddling 💔💔
To add on to this i tried to show her and the counselor confiscated my sketchbook
@@Gold.nyellowboo
What if we cuddled and were both girl warrior cats
the modern gay experience
I talked to a lesbian who drew gay manga while I was at a Christian camp. Made me happy to not be totally alone.
The way you transcribed LBJ had me in tears
"Have a slammin' time with a rockin' twink" is gonna be my new Grindr handle
The line “have an absolutely slammin’ time with a rockin’ twink” made me spit out my coffee 12/10 no notes
You're a really great essayist Kaz. I really like the story-arcs spun from the obviously extensive research. Very engaging, thanks.
My mom lived at the YWCA for a while after high school. I don't think she got up to anything queer, but she's said several times that it was the best time of her life.
Go MOM!!!
hmmm
LGBTQ+ history is truly fascinating, thank you for this great video✨
Spent the night at the Philadelphia Y in 1976. We were a group of school kids from Ohio. The teacher who got us there was a very religious person who had no idea of the gay life. It was an eye opening night for us.
I have always wondered about the true details of the various cultural tendrils of the gay history with the YMCA and I am so grateful for your thoughtful well researched answer -- mostly because I don't know have to jump down that rabbit hole! You also cleared up the origin of 'camp' and offered a new potential mental curiosity -- the role of canteens and cafeterias as a safe space for marginalized groups at the turn of the century and onwards. As always much appreciation and adoration!
I do wonder how many lives where saved by Larry Littlejohn?
The closing of the bath houses would be a great video. Like how traumatic must it have been to loose these important cultural spots, while also weighing in on how dangerous the spots had become because of a virus.
Was the measure successful or did it do more harm then good? I’d sure love if someone who has an amazing voice, and stylish hair would make a video essay on it…
There actually still a bathhouse in the bigger city near me still.
Edit: it's a known gay bath house.
10/10 on the Ladybird subtitles lmao
I give it a 9/10 - there were a couple of times when a final "er" could have been replaced with "ah." But still, A for effort!
The 33rpm single of YMCA by the Village People was the very first piece of recorded media I ever owned. (I was around 5)
As a straight person, growing up, I may not have understood the references you speak of, but some of them started to make sense as I got older.
Really interestng. I’m loving these deep dives into Queer History and heritage. Although the stories are generally quite USA centric (understandably!) its fascinating to see how these events have had widespread ripples of change around the world.
Wonderful to watch and to help generate even more questions about how these things came to be.
Just wanted to say, it's been about ten years since I've been, but the bathouse in Portland is still very much a cruising spot, though I guess it isn't called cruising anymore. Love your videos, please keep making them!!!!
Shoutout to the Y i go to for having a progress pride flag sticker in the window. And the organization as a whole lists multiple gender options (I think it's male/female/prefer not to say/nonbinary/other (fill in) but i'd have to check).
Tho less shoutout because while they do have multiple single occupancy/family changing rooms, they only have one single occupancy toilet/shower, and it's also the wheelchair accessible one, so my nonbinary options are to conform to a gender presentation enough to use a shared facility or risk annoying the people that that bathroom was more built for.
I had no idea that that was what YMCA stood for lol
I mean, "Young man" is right there in the song...
Fun Fact: one of the YMCA cofounders was Henry Dunant, who was one of the two recipients of the first Nobel Peace Price in 1901 for co-founding The Red Cross
My limited experience with the Y was me and my brother going to a couple years of regular swimming lessons at the Y when we were in grade school. I didn't even get to listen to the YMCA song in full (I occasionally heard people referencing it in snippets) until I was an adult because my parents did not listen to the Village People (or any group that was too queer for their sensibilities). I have vague memories of an entrance area for the building, then the locker rooms and swimming pool, but it wasn't a place where we socialized or anything like that, and I don't remember seeing adults in the locker rooms since we went just during the hours for kids' lessons.
Thank you for this video. This explains the awkward silence and exchanged glances among my parents when a seven year-old me asked them about the history. This explains so much regarding what was never brought up again.
How would you know enough about queer YMCA info to ask your parents about the history? I'm trying to imagine my 7 yr old nephew doing the same thing. Doesn't compute.
My uncle (aka the husband of my mom's best friend) used to work at the Y, back when it was a rooming house ( during the 50s-60s). I never knew anything about the gay aspect of the establishment until I looked into the meaning of the Village People song. My uncle was legally blind, and he never mentioned anything about it being a "cruising spot". I think he just cleaned rooms in exchange for lodging. Back then, blind people had fewer employment opportunities (and had to go to special schools....like the one where he met my mom and his wife), so I don't know if he would have complained about any "goings on" while he worked there.
My local YMCA was gay confirmed. In high school I was part of a group of teens who organized a yearly Queer Prom kindly hosted by our local Y. We had photo booths of sorts and dancing and food. And I think we had access to gender neutral changing rooms as well, so anyone not out to their family could say they were just going to the Y and change into their true gender expression when they arrived.
I remember one year we got a complaint that we were taking use of the gym away from regular members and the CEO of our Y responded in an open letter that anyone who had a problem with gay youth taking over the basketball court for one night in May could stuff it.
It wasn’t nearly as fancy or well attended as straight prom, but the people were cooler and the music selection way better. Those were good years ✨
I'll have to go to prom with my bestie because my school doesn't allow gay couples. :/
@@manwhoismissingtwotoenails4811 that so totally sucks. There was a lot of heteronormativity around prom at my high school too but not any explicit school rules. I will say that one year instead of going to actual prom me and my friends got dressed up and went laser tagging instead then went to after prom. I guess don’t be afraid to make up your own rites of passage instead of or in addition to normie hetero ones 💛
Joe Says: My first ex, Lee Marcussen, was a dedicated Volunteer Counselor for LGBTQ+ Youth Groups in Chicago Illinois - where we met when I was studying at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago 30+Years ago - the queer Youth Group in Chicago was called "Horizons" and later, in Minneapolis Minnesota [where the queer Youth group was called "District 202" I believe] - on one occasion he took me as his date to a "Gay Prom" created by and for the Youth as an alternative experience to the Regular Proms to which they simply couldn't come "as themselves" or bring the dates of their own choosing that they'd wish to. I remember telling him that I honestly couldn't imagine such an event ever taking place in my own hometown [Daytona Beach Florida] - because I was so impressed by people like Lee actually organizing community centers for the support and encouragement of LGBTQ+ Youth... Today, Lee has gone to the Great Beyond [Cancer] and I live in my hometown again (who knew?!? After SWEARING That I Would "Never, Ever, return to the SOUTH!" I would move back to my hometown - 20+Years ago Now!) - and - Incidentally - I am living in the same house I grew up in (my older brother owns it now) and I am a member of our local YMCA - a block away from our home - where my elementary school was located (!) [And when I went to school there, nearly 50 years ago, the original school building that my mother attended in the 1920s was still standing! The YMCA - Site of our former elementary school - is next door to the church my great-grandparents and their friends built early in the 20th century - a Congregational Church (Today part of the United Church of Christ Denomination) - Still Standing, and in Very Good Repair (my great-grandpa was a Carpenter who built things TO LAST!) - and I am told, the current pastor is a Lesbian! (To which I say, "HALLELUJAH!") - Seeing the changes that have occurred in my lifetime - the breathtakingly slow (at times) creep towards Progress (and sometimes it's two steps forward, two steps back) for LGBTQ+ Rights, but celebrating Every Move Ahead, and then looking at the news and seeing the Repression of our people elsewhere in this world, I celebrate Every Person and Every Group which has given LGBTQ+ People a Voice, an Opportunity, a Mode of Expression - We have Always Existed and we shall Always Exist, and we Need "cuddling" as much as Anyone!] Brava, Kaz Rowe, for taking part in the movement to Keep Our History ALIVE!
@@manwhoismissingtwotoenails4811 that's illegal... From the school not you
That is so sweet!
A picture exists of my grandfather lying on his bed at the YMCA sometime in the 1930s. He has a couple of pinup girl pictures on the wall behind him.
I now have soooooo many questions about his time there lol. (He's long gone; he was born in 1919 and died in 2015. Good long run, and super interesting life.)
Edit: I have in fact been queer at the Y; I just didn't know it then because I hadn't realized I was bi at the time. Oops.
You were just in denial. Deep down we all know, but are afraid to accept ourselves, until we're honest about it internally.
Where do I sign up for the Young Men's Cuddling Association? Sounds nice
So happy to see another video 💛 I preordered your book! So happy it’s stocked in the UK and I can support you! Happy days and love to you 💛
Reminds me of how the ruins of one of the largest churches in my country at one point in time was allegedly used as a gay cruising spot.
I got my copy of Liberated a week go and I'm proudly displaying it in my living room
KR always strikes the perfect balance of educational and entertaining. I had a really rough day yesterday and this was the perfect safe distraction. Thanks for all of your thorough research and professionalism!
I stumbled upon your channel looking to learn about a queer actor and I discovered my new favorite channel. Thank you for your incredible queer history content!
Please do the YWCA!! I used to work with a lot of their records but honestly had no time to explore them so I'm curious!
Leaving this here as a tangentially relevant story pertaining to the Village People: my grandma, a suburban mom, was obsessed with the song 'YMCA' and bought a Village People record and absolutely loved it. When my aunt found out the Village People were touring in our city, she got tickets and brought my grandma. My grandma was completely unaware that the Village People were a 'gay' band and that their primary audience was actually queer men, so she was a little surprised to be surrounded by droves of men, many in costume, who were very affectionate with each other. She was a bit thrown, but only for a moment. It was her first time being in what one might consider a queer space, and she loved it, and she thought the guys there were so sweet. But she also came away from that night with a better understanding of her nephew, a young man she had watched struggling with abusive parents growing up, who had found a home within the gay community. She never really understood the whole 'gay thing,' but she realized she didn't need to understand. She just needed to accept it and do what she could to help. So she did. And my grandpa was 100% with her on that. So when their nephew would get arrested (this is Texas, and the sodomy laws were very much enforced in many areas), my grandma and grandpa would be the people he called because he knew they would help him. My grandparents passed away before I came out, but I have no doubt that they would have loved and supported me. They never spoke of their nephew with anything but love, and they even got the money together to get him a gravestone when his parents refused to pay for one. If a friend of ours needed a loving presence, they would never leave my grandma's house without being well fed.
As for my mom's cousin, after finding out no one had done this yet, my mom and I are making a panel for the AIDS quilt in his memory and getting the rest of the family involved. He passed away surrounded by people who loved him. And my grandparents made sure anyone who saw his grave would know that he was "a perfect son."
So, I guess what I'm saying here is... The song makes me a little emotional.
I'm reading this in a very dusty room. Your grandparents sound awesome.
Always happy when I see a brand new thumbnail with Kaz Rowe...
I'm so happy you uploaded before the first day of school! You're one of my comfort creators and I love learning :)
I open youtube to do other stuff, I see a kaz rowe upload that's sixty seconds old.
quest objective: updated.
The Lawson Y on Chicago Avenue was also quite the hot spot back in the day. Would be interesting to learn more about those times.
There is a Gerber Hart Gay and Lesbian archives there. I'm sure they some writings on the topic.🙂
Thanks for reminding me about that organization; I need to go by there sometime,@@jamesharms748
God I can't wait for when movies and TV shows can tell queer history like this instead of focusing on the ✨️tragedy✨️
I'm laughing at myself for never picking up the song before
Your book was so good, just finished reading it. The writing and illustrations were gorgeous and the story was incredible!!! Well done
it brings me so much joy that the song that is my homophobic cristian theatre companys favorite song is very gay. i do theatre at a church because it is the only theatre near me and i wish it was less homophobic and transphobic
My school that outright expels gay students, or students in gay relationships to be more precise, plays that song at every game and the cheerleaders dance to it.
@@manwhoismissingtwotoenails4811 sorry you have to go there
I most confess that up until this point I wasn't even entirely sure what the YMCA was.
I laughed so much at your spelling of the accented dialogue between the Johnsons 😂
"You can get yourself clean. You can have a good meal. You can do whatever you feel."
- The Village People
I worked at my local YMCA this summer as a day camp counselor - at first was a little skiddish hearing "Christian Association," luckily quickly found a neat lil niche community I've been missing back in Central Minnesota after living south of Portland for years.
never had a gay experience at a ymca gym, but i def had funny feelings about a fellow camper for a week when i was 12 (which i didn't examine further for years after)
Very interesting video and very well researched. I am a straight female that has stayed at some of the YMCA's in NYC including Vanderbilt, McBurney and Greenpoint. When I was in my 20s it was the only place that I could afford. I always felt safe there and enjoyed all the international travelers that visited at the same time. Good memories 😅❤
My local Y’s men’s locker room was notorious for the *ahem* extremely friendly male affections. I think a lot of it is because the lack of any gay-friendly spaces in the pretty conservative southern town.
A significantly interesting and informative video. Even at age 90 I am still learning. At one time I actually lived up the street from the Embarcadero Y and had no idea of the gay environment. The Ys greatest competitor was the nearby gay Ensign Club where clothes were entirely optional and gay sex was rampant in the basement. Imagine descending down into the cellar and becoming involved in a maelstrom of naked sweating young sailors and masculine longshoremen engaging in every imaginable act of sex. The occasional vicious police raids did nothing the dampen the spirits. After the drag queens robustly attacked the police thugs at Compton's Cafeteria it became safe for gays to walk the streets of the city. Oh, those were the days before gay liberation and AIDS.
new Kaz yay!
Oranges
@@warpstar757apples
Always a good day
The most gay at the Y I've been is ~looking respectfully~ while working out, but y'know, still counts! :P
That's me at planet fitness😌
Incredible video! The way gay people have always been making our own places no matter how oppressive things are is astounding And I love the new background!
In saudi we have some cafe that’s mostly lgbt (at night) and also lgbt friendly even tho the authorities could arrest you for being queer if they wanted but the community still made it theirs (accidentally) which I find to be interesting.
I haven’t been there cuz of its reputation, my mother and sister made it their life mission to research everything gay so they could save us from it ( or catch us), so I won’t be able to get away with it😂
As a 12-year employee at one Y, and a couple seasons at 2 more, I'd sat about 1/3 the staff at my branches was gay.
Wait wait wait. We need to get Legal Eagle on this. How can there be a case for suing someone who interprets an artistic work in a way the author didn’t intend or doesn’t like??
There cannot be. You *can* outright forbid a political candidate from using your work, but you cannot forbid them from interpreting it incorrectly.
Now, if the incorrect interpretation becomes more commonly known than the intended one you *do* potentially have grounds for a defamation case. Leonard Cohen in particular probably would have grounds for a defamation case, given that some of the groups which have covered his song are openly antisemitic. Depending on the jurisdiction, he would likely have a pretty good chance of arguing that their use of the song has caused him reputational and emotional harm, and could likely ask for their future royalty checks. Importantly, this would not require him to prove that they intended harm, so how obvious the musician's antisemitism was would have little bearing. He would only need to prove that people in his own community thought less of him because this musician covered his song. Alternatively, any Jewish group (e.g. a synagogue) could conceivably bring a libel and hate crime case, on the grounds that the musician sang the song in order to intentionally mock Jews: but they would have the more difficult task of proving actual malice.
Funny enough, one of my first experiences with the YMCA was by being involved with a queer youth group that was held in conjunction with them & the local Pride Society in Victoria, BC back in the early 2000s. The YMCA is well entrenched into the LGBTQ+ community in Western Canada.
I had no idea about the queer culture that was in YMCA because that song was something my catholic school would play during pep rallies lmao. This changes everything
I've always wanted to visit the Gay Baths in Chicago. Thanks for re-inspiring me
I grew up at the YMCA in the 90s with swim lessons and day care. I then joined our synchronized swim team that practiced there and while nothing sexual happened (at least to my knowledge), we were a team of all girls and were VERY comfortable with each other. Even to go so far as we would change in the locker room in front of each other and not give a hoot. Now as a pansexual person, so many things start to click and make sense 😅🌈
The YMCA hosts a camp for trans kids near where I live.
Could you do a tom of Finland video maybe? I feel like that may be a really interesting video! Great video Kaz!!
I love learning about bits and pieces of queer history like this. despite being impossible to comprehensively document, every piece of queer history comes in stories of people finding community and forming a collective movement. It’s in our very nature to find each other through codes and spaces and culture.
I realized I never comment on any videos but that's so unfair because I should be telling you how amazing all your videos are, and how I look forward to each and every one of them. Wonderful job, as usual 🌟
I did enjoy your video on the YMCA. I liked the Paul Cadmus and Tom of Finland illustrations. I did go back with someone who was living at the Y and had a pleasant time in his room. I'm glad you included the Walter Jenkins scandal .I remember when it happened and was quickly hushed up. It would make an interesting book or a movie. A lot of Ys have gotten rid of their dormitories and have become low cost health xlubs that cater to families. There is a Y in the town I live it. It has a pool and is more for familieis. There may be some cruising in the urban ones. I also used to go to the baths. They still exist and were still in existence during the AIDS crisis. They just had free condoms and encoursged safe sex. i have outgrown my need to go to them.
“Aaaaabe Aproooves of The Jooobbb Awfer🙄” 😂😂😂 the transcripts had me cackling
After pretending to work out -- and definitely hanging out -- at at the YMCA on Golden Gate Ave. in San Francisco in 1977-78, I had my very first gay experience there, in the steam room, in 1978. That was followed by a few more experiences sthere, before I moved on to the bath houses in San Francisco in the 1978 - 1980 time period. Once I move on to the bath houses, I never went back to the YMCA. It had fulfilled its purpose.
I will never forget the YMCA! It was the beginning of a whole new life, a true life. In truth, that is a Christian mission -- to help people realize who they really are.
I'm so glad the YMCA helped you discover more about who you are! And thank you for sharing your story with us!