VILLAGE PEOPLE - VILLAGE PEOPLE STAR KEEN TO PLAY DOWN GAY TAG

VILLAGE PEOPLE STAR KEEN TO PLAY DOWN GAY TAG

New VILLAGE PEOPLE frontman RAY SIMPSON is keen to play down the group's gay past when they launch a comeback later this month (Aug07) - because he doesn't want them just to play camp clubs. The singer, who now fronts the revamped Y.M.C.A. group, admits he's frustrated that the band is given credit for being nothing more than gay icons. He says, "(The current line-up is) straight, gay, Catholic, Protestant... It's black, white, Indian, it's a very diverse group. "Thank goodness that we're embraced by a lot of different people and a lot of different groups. The only way that you can actually exist... is by having mutual respect for each other and respecting the differences."