"For the first time in nearly 40 years, Minneapolis is considering a push to re-open the city's bathhouses and gay sex clubs, which would allow sex venues to operate legally. The proposed ordinances include updating zoning regulations and revising health standards."
"During the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, nearly every major metro passed ordinances that banned the businesses, with Minneapolis' last legal bathhouse closing in 1988. Many activists believe politicians used AIDS as a pretext to surveil gay people."
"With the advent of PrEP and retroviral drugs, the risks today are far different. Minneapolis City Council president Elliott Payne believes bathhouses can benefit public health and protect queer people from a hostile regime in D.C."
"The story of what happened in Minneapolis, and what's changing, mirrors shifting societal attitudes on bathhouses and cruising in general, as seen in other cities like San Francisco."
Minneapolis is contemplating the re-opening of bathhouses and gay sex clubs after nearly four decades. Proposed ordinances aim to update zoning regulations and health standards to allow these venues to operate legally. The bathhouse scene was largely shut down during the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, with many cities enacting bans. Current public health advancements, such as PrEP, have changed the landscape, leading officials like City Council president Elliott Payne to advocate for bathhouses as a public health benefit and a means of protecting queer individuals.
Read at Queerty
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