The YMCA in the Golden Era (including 1960s)

[FedoraFan112390]

A question--
Was the YMCA, even in the Golden Era and including in the 1960s, always known as a haven for gay people? The reason I ask is because when my grandparents would fight, which was very, very frequent throughout the '50s and '60s, the fight would end with my grandmother (b. 1927) making my grandfather (b. 1920) leave the house, and he would end up staying at the YMCA until things boiled over. The guy's dead so it made me wonder...Or was it then just a place a guy with no other place to go and only a little money could legitimately stay without there having to be a gay component to it?

 

[Feraud]

What a bizarre question.

What part of anything you said about your grandparents fighting can be construed as having a homosexual or "gay haven" component to it?

Do you think a relative was homosexual? Frankly speaking it's really none of your business.
The assumption about the YMCA based on your grandparents fighting is odd.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The Y in the Era was more known as a haven for single working class men, especially new arrivals to a community who hadn't had a chance to get settled yet. If you were a Y member, which required the payment of $2 annual dues, you could get a room at any Y for $2 a week. While it was a spartan arrangement, it was cheaper than any boardinghouse, and much cheaper than any hotel. And it was usually cleaner than a flophouse. The YWCA had a similar arrangement for young single women.

The gay stereotype surrounding the Y was more a creation of the Village People than anything else. In the Era, a man was more likely to be considered gay if he wore a red necktie than if he had a room at the Y.

 

[FedoraFan112390]

What a bizarre question.

What part of anything you said about your grandparents fighting can be construed as having a homosexual or "gay haven" component to it?

Do you think a relative was homosexual? Frankly speaking it's really none of your business.
The assumption about the YMCA based on your grandparents fighting is odd.

It's just, I've always found this picture...odd. And I presume, given my grandfather's frequent stays in the Y around the time this was taken (sometime between 1950 and 1964 or so), that it might've been taken there. I could be way off base and (as my grandfather was a former military man), this could've been a former CO of his since the other man (the one on the left) is an older man than he.

 

[LizzieMaine]

It was much more common in the Era for men to display physical affection toward each other -- handshakes, backslapping, etc. -- even to the point of roommates in boardinghouses sharing the same bed. Nothing sexual or unusual about it by the common standards of the time

 

[FedoraFan112390]

It was much more common in the Era for men to display physical affection toward each other -- handshakes, backslapping, etc. -- even to the point of roommates in boardinghouses sharing the same bed. Nothing sexual or unusual about it by the common standards of the time

Sounds like a more decent time, really. When everything wasn't thought of as being sexual.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

It was much more common in the Era for men to display physical affection toward each other -- handshakes, backslapping, etc. -- even to the point of roommates in boardinghouses sharing the same bed. Nothing sexual or unusual about it by the common standards of the time

Which inspired numerous gags in the comedies of the period, most notably Laurel & Hardy and the Three Stooges.

 

[ChiTownScion]

I recall as a ten year old kid (1965) being told to steer clear of the Central YMCA on South Wabash Avenue in Chicago because there were "undesirables" there. Mentioning gays to a kid my age would not have been typical at the time, so, whether that was code is anyone's guess.

On the other hand, my mom would often take me to dinner at their cafeteria: the food was plentiful, tasty, and reasonably priced. We'd often strike up conversations with residents and locals: usually young men from small towns looking for their break in the big city, and cops from the local police HQ at 11th and State. I don't have any recollections of anything that would either support or refute the notion that it was a gay hangout.

The building still stands, but it now contains condos in a very prime downtown location. Back then it was kind of a rough area.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Sounds like a more decent time, really. When everything wasn't thought of as being sexual.

Well, as I said, a man wore a red tie on the street at his own peril. There were neighborhoods in New York where you might be arrested as a male prostitute for doing so. At the very least schoolboys would call you a sissy and street-corner toughs would challenge you to a fight if you went around dressed like this:

Of course, times changed.

 

[3fingers]

I was a supervisory level Y employee for ten years. Not sure what in the photo looks in any way gay, but to answer the question- no it was not known for anything of the kind. I'm sure the numbers of gay men at the Y reflected the rest of society, as they would today. As to Lizzie's statement about young men who were new to a community, I had a cousin who took a job out of college as an engineer on the other side of the country. He packed up his old car and went without having a house or apartment to go to. His plan was to stay at the Y until he got settled and that is what he did. That was in 1979/1980. He said his room was simple but clean and safe.
There were YMCA's in rough neighborhoods that most might avoid, but they served a great purpose in being there, especially for young people.

 

[Feraud]

It's just, I've always found this picture...odd. And I presume, given my grandfather's frequent stays in the Y around the time this was taken (sometime between 1950 and 1964 or so), that it might've been taken there. I could be way off base and (as my grandfather was a former military man), this could've been a former CO of his since the other man (the one on the left) is an older man than he.

Looks like two pals shaking hands. I wouldn't try to read any more in it than that.

 

[ChiTownScion]

There were also "Railroad YMCA's" located in towns that were division points where crew members could hold over at the end of a run.

 

[sheeplady]

The Y is very much a Christian organization to this day. (I am very active in the Y LIVESTRONG program; Christian prayer and reflection on Christian principles occurs at every main and/or big meeting. They are inclusive, extremely so, but their inclusiveness is driven by their Christian values.) I can't see it being an underground place for young men to hook up, at least not on a widespread basis.

I can see it being a safe haven for gay men (see Christian principles), but I cannot see any Y being the equivalent of an unpaid whore house. That said, I imagine that the Y was really instrumental to many young men, in the sense that it did provide housing and food to a segment of the population that was openly discriminated against.

You'd be suprised today how many people are hostile to their gay children, friends, employees, and neighbors. It's not easy to come out. I'm glad safe places exist. A

 

[3fingers]

There were also "Railroad YMCA's" located in towns that were division points where crew members could hold over at the end of a run.

There are also Armed Services YMCAs that serve our military. They were started during the civil war and still exist today.

 

[FedoraFan112390]

The Y is very much a Christian organization to this day. (I am very active in the Y LIVESTRONG program; Christian prayer and reflection on Christian principles occurs at every main and/or big meeting. They are inclusive, extremely so, but their inclusiveness is driven by their Christian values.) I can't see it being an underground place for young men to hook up, at least not on a widespread basis.

I can see it being a safe haven for gay men (see Christian principles), but I cannot see any Y being the equivalent of an unpaid whore house. That said, I imagine that the Y was really instrumental to many young men, in the sense that it did provide housing and food to a segment of the population that was openly discriminated against.

You'd be suprised today how many people are hostile to their gay children, friends, employees, and neighbors. It's not easy to come out. I'm glad safe places exist. A

Thing is, this Y was in Brooklyn. My father (not my grandfather's son) stayed at the same Y at a later time--between the early-mid 70s and late '70s--on and off when he was between apartments or kicked out of home, because it was cheap. He said when he first began going in the early '70s, it was still mainly guys with no other place to go. But by the time he last went there toward the end of the decade, it had taken on a very sleazy "vibe" and was indeed a place for a lot of gay guys to meet and, using today's lingo "hook up".

My grandfather seems to have had a lifelong affinity for the Y. During his service in WWII in the Army, he bought (I have it) a booklet titled "Why America Fights", which contains within it a Christian, moral justification of WWII by Sherwood Eddy. The book was published in 1942, by the YMCA. Must have been a special book to him, as despite being over 70 years old, it looks brand new. No wrinkles or bent pages or anything or even faded words; no stains or raggedness or anything. Literally looks like I bought it yesterday, but was in the guy's possession all his life. He didn't have to keep it--he died in 1975. So he hung onto his particular book for over 30 years.

 

[HudsonHawk]

Thing is, this Y was in Brooklyn. My father (not my grandfather's son) stayed at the same Y at a later time--between the early-mid 70s and late '70s--on and off when he was between apartments or kicked out of home, because it was cheap. He said when he first began going in the early '70s, it was still mainly guys with no other place to go. But by the time he last went there toward the end of the decade, it had taken on a very sleazy "vibe" and was indeed a place for a lot of gay guys to meet and, using today's lingo "hook up".

You seem hell bent on convincing yourself that your grandfather was homosexual, despite the fact that there's nothing remotely "gay" in the behavior you've described.

 

[sheeplady]

Thing is, this Y was in Brooklyn. My father (not my grandfather's son) stayed at the same Y at a later time--between the early-mid 70s and late '70s--on and off when he was between apartments or kicked out of home, because it was cheap. He said when he first began going in the early '70s, it was still mainly guys with no other place to go. But by the time he last went there toward the end of the decade, it had taken on a very sleazy "vibe" and was indeed a place for a lot of gay guys to meet and, using today's lingo "hook up".

My grandfather seems to have had a lifelong affinity for the Y. During his service in WWII in the Army, he bought (I have it) a booklet titled "Why America Fights", which contains within it a Christian, moral justification of WWII by Sherwood Eddy. The book was published in 1942, by the YMCA. Must have been a special book to him, as despite being over 70 years old, it looks brand new. No wrinkles or bent pages or anything or even faded words; no stains or raggedness or anything. Literally looks like I bought it yesterday, but was in the guy's possession all his life. He didn't have to keep it--he died in 1975. So he hung onto his particular book for over 30 years.

Could it be that your father simply had an affinity for the Y because of something in his youth?

I have a lot of Y stuff and I have a great love for the Y. I've raised money for them, donated to them, and even asked for my daughter's first birthday for gifts to be made to our local Y's cancer surviorship program.

The Y is so much more than a gym. In the past year, the Y has been:
1. My babysitter so I could get my 7 weeks of radiation treatment.
2. My gym, which provided a years free family membership to get me walking and lifting again.
3. A sense of normalcy for my daughter through free play classes and swim classes.
4. A months worth of free meals cooked by a professional chef when I was too tired to cook.
5. Funding so I could travel to NYC to see abut a clinical trial.
6. A free yearly retreat for cancer survivor for a weekend.
7. Reduced rates for a second weekend retreat to share with my family.

If I ever need help, I can go to the Y.

Honestly, the Y has been more dependable and generous to my family than our actual immediate families (parents).

And i am far from the only one to have the trajectory of my life changed by the Y.

 

[FedoraFan112390]

You seem hell bent on convincing yourself that your grandfather was homosexual, despite the fact that there's nothing remotely "gay" in the behavior you've described.

It's not that, it's just...I am 24. My generation knows of the YMCA as a gay thing due to the song, and it's hard to shake that from your mind when that's what your generation grew up with. I went to an all boy's Catholic school, so...One's masculinity always had to be very rigidly asserted, and I guess that rubbed off on me.

 

[nick123]

It's not that, it's just...I am 24. My generation knows of the YMCA as a gay thing due to the song, and it's hard to shake that from your mind when that's what your generation grew up with. I went to an all boy's Catholic school, so...One's masculinity always had to be very rigidly asserted, and I guess that rubbed off on me.

I'm twenty four and went to an all boys Catholic School as well.
But I don't know of anyone having ever associated the YMCA, the organization, with a type of orientation, or why anyone would even put the two together. The Village People thing was just a novelty song and the source of some nonsense humor. Doubt anyone our age has given it more thought than that.

 

[HudsonHawk]

It's not that, it's just...I am 24. My generation knows of the YMCA as a gay thing due to the song, and it's hard to shake that from your mind when that's what your generation grew up with. I went to an all boy's Catholic school, so...One's masculinity always had to be very rigidly asserted, and I guess that rubbed off on me.

To be perfectly frank, it sounds as if you're having a hard time accepting your own sexual orientation.