The Minneapolis City Council is considering lifting the 38-year-old restriction on the operation of gay bathhouses in the city.
In 1988, the 315 Health Club, the last adult bathhouse in Minneapolis, shut down before the prohibition took effect. The club distributed free condoms and information on AIDS prevention before it closed.
Campaigners with the Safer Sex Spaces Coalition requested changes to the 1988 ordinance’s wording in 2023, arguing that it specifically targeted same-sex relationships and those living with HIV/AIDS. The Safer Sex Venues Coalition also contended that the prohibition inhibited community outreach and forced sex-related events into “unsafe and inaccessible spaces.”
Elliott Payne, president of the Minneapolis City Council, stated that the idea to regulate bathhouses would be modeled after San Francisco, which has implemented a number of safety and public health-related restrictions, including those pertaining to staff training and condom requirements.
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