Village People Star Says 'YMCA's Gay Anthem Label 'Hurting' Song

Victor Willis, who is best known for being a founding member of the Village People, is calling out the media for perpetuating the idea that "Y.M.C.A." is a gay anthem.

We caught up with the songwriter on "TMZ Live" Tuesday, where Victor elaborated on his feelings about his song's reputation and its longtime ties to the LGBTQ+ community.

As he put it ... he never intentionally wrote the song with the intention of it having a queer double entendre. While he has no problem with the LGBTQ+ community adopting the song, he's frustrated with the media for repeatedly perpetuating the idea that track was crafted in order to be a gay anthem.

Per Victor, the media calling "Y.M.C.A." a gay anthem for years is "hurting the song" ... noting people will believe anything they're told.

VW doubled down on his stance that the song is as much a heterosexual tune as it is a gay anthem ... noting the number of times the single is played at weddings, bar mitzvahs and sporting events.

Of course, the "Y.M.C.A." has been top of mind lately due to President-elect Donald Trump's frequent use of the song on the campaign trail ... which Victor said he was fine with it since Trump seems to be a genuine fan of the track.

He noted ... "It's not like he politicized it, he just likes the song. So, I decided to let him go ahead and do what he did with the song -- and it's actually helped the song quite a bit."

As for Donald's dancing skills ... he avoided criticizing DT directly, saying the President-elect "does his thing."