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‘Y.M.C.A’ Singer Says He’ll Sue If You Call It A ‘Gay Anthem.’ Legal Experts Say He’s Unlikely To Win.

Village People singer Victor Willis is threatening to sue news outlets that describe “Y.M.C.A” as a “gay anthem,” but legal experts question his case.

In a social media post on Monday defending President-elect Donald Trump ’s use of the iconic disco song at his campaign rallies, Willis also sharply denied that he had intended the track to be aimed at the gay community — calling it a “false assumption” and “completely misguided.” For example, a New York state appeals court issued a ruling in 2021 overturning a decades-old precedent holding that falsely calling someone gay was automatically defamatory, citing a “profound and notable transformation of cultural attitudes.” And it’s by design: if not sharply limited, defamation lawsuit could allow government officials, business execs and other powerful people to use the courts to stifle the kind of open exchange of ideas that the First Amendment is supposed to protect.

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