Know what makes a fun activity at a Yankees game? Turning the Village People’s “YMCA” into “Gay Man/Why Are You Gay,” which includes fun lyrics like, “Why are you gay, I saw you sucking some d-i-c-k.”
While gay kids are killing themselves and professional sports teams are kicking out gay fans, here we have a group of Yankees fans screaming from the bleachers, “Gay man, you will catch a disease / Gay man, don’t touch me please / Because gay man, you’ve got a disease.” And: “Gay man, what you do is a sin / Gay man, I don’t let you in / Because you have got a disease.”
The sing-a-long took place at Saturday’s playoff game against the Minnesota Twins. Not that it’s a new phenomenon. Gothamist points us to this rendition from 2007:
A Twins fan wrote the site:
How about we take this to the next level?
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As a Midwest native showing up to the game in my Twins regalia, I expected to be picked on. I expected to be heckled. What I did not expect was to hear homophobic and anti-gay cheers sung by the crowd. During the traditional singing of YMCA, when the grounds crew takes to the field, suddenly the crowd erupted into lyrics singing, “Why are you gay, I saw you sucking some d-i-c-k.” Other lyrics called people who are gay sinners and disease-ridden. I couldn’t believe my ears. Whatever people may say about Minnesota or the Midwest, such hurtful and disgusting things would never be shouted at a Twins game. What an embarrassment for Yankees fans and New York City.
This is why God invented cell phone cameras, people. Get ’em on tape. And we’ll make them really proud.
Ed
There’s always some kind of trash at a sports event which ruins it for others around them. I’m curious to know though if the Yankees ever have a Gay Day at the stadium. I know several ball clubs have them, including the Phillies, and they’re always popular.
the crustybastard
I bet if you interviewed them separately, they’d all claim to be politically moderate, socially tolerant and a great admirers of Jesus’ teaching.
They’d also wonder why you’re persecuting them for having a little fun, and y’know…First Amendment and shit!
Stupid people rule. Hurrah.
CHIP1218
@Ed:
Neither NYC baseball team has a Gay Day. The likelihood is the Mets organization would be more willing than the Yankees because the Mets celebrate diverse heritage nights during the summer, and well, the Mets have a lot more unsold tickets than the Yankees.
CHIP1218
Also, remember that horrible gang related hate crime happened in the Bronx, home of the Yankees. The Mets play in Queens, which although it has some conservative neighborhoods, most would argue is more tolerant towards gays than the Bronx.
scott ny'er
disgusting. yet another reason to never go to a baseball game. You won’t see that shite at tennis matches.
ewe
Where is the Bloomberg outrage? Oh no where of course. It involves cash.
Anderson
Poor white trash!
Sarena
@Anderson: Well I don’t know if they are poor or not, but they certainly are trash.
Kieran
Getting older is mandatory. Growing Up is optional. These overgrown boys in our society are embarassing. They should be adults by now, but emotionally they are still stuck in Sixth grade.
The Bony Man
That is just horrible…
wompman
Yankee fans are just doing what they do best – act like assholes.
Dallas David
Huh . . . How embarassing for them.
Vile, disgusting . . . They are as unaware of their disgusting behavior as my dog is when he eats his own sxxt.
skzip888
And they preempt Will&Grace reruns for this crap? I will always hate sports.
Samwise
You know what’s really obnoxious? When a song written by gay men, about gay sex, and performed by a group designed to spoof gay subculture stereotypes gets turned around into an anti-gay anthem. We have few enough songs of our own as it is. Now straight people have to steal the few we have and turn them against us? Jesus Christ, you guys have THE ENTIRE REST OF THE WORLD, and even that’s not enough for you.
tallskin2
You could actually fight back like ACT UP did in the 80s and 90s, get dressed up as Nuns and invade the f*cking pitch during the match in protest
Cut off the power, plunge the place into darkness during the game
Block the entranceway to the car park
DO SOMETHING
Don’t be so f*cking fatalistic and passive for gods’s sake
prohomo
Disgusting meatheads that I’d love to have a throwdown with. Vile losers.
Lucas
@tallskin2: These days asking gay people to literally fight back is useless. We “just want to be left alone.”
ewe
All those couch potato spectators would submissively kneel in front of any one of those Yankee ball players. What a joke. Gang mentality that is so insecure, not one of them can stand up for intelligent thinking.
Bear
It’s one of the “Bleacher Creature”‘s ‘chants.’ F***ing disgusting.
Wiki:
“Besides the Roll Call, probably the most famous chant still in use today is the “Why Are You Gay” song, which occurs during “YMCA” at the top of the 7th inning. Fans of the opposing team that happen to be sitting in Section 39 (or 203 in the new stadium) are noticed and the song is directed at them.”
Also Wiki:
“However, in the last few years the Creatures have been shown in a more positive light. They have been praised for their loyalty and dedication in numerous articles and features from Filip Bondy, and in his book as well. On April 3, 2009, ABC World News Tonight did a segment on the Creatures, calling them “the most loyal fans any team could want.”
libhomo
@ewe: Yep, if Bloomberg really was pro gay, he would move to block the hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies he’s been shoveling at those bigots.
libhomo
@Anderson: Poor people can’t afford tickets at Yankees Stadium. This is rich trash.
B
No. 8 · Sarena wrote, “@Anderson: Well I don’t know if they are poor or not, but they certainly are trash.”
I suspect some off-camera bottles of beer had something to do with it.
Bill
Stay classy, heteros!