NY Lawmakers May Repeal 1985 Ban On Bathhouses
Gothamist reports: New York could finally lift a decades-old ban that shuttered the city’s gay bathhouses and other adult establishments during the height of the AIDS epidemic. New York lawmakers have introduced legislation that would repeal the state’s existing prohibitions. State health regulations adopted in 1985 prohibited adult saunas. New York City relied on those … The post NY Lawmakers May Repeal 1985 Ban On Bathhouses appeared first on Joe.My.God..
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Gothamist reports:
New York could finally lift a decades-old ban that shuttered the city’s gay bathhouses and other adult establishments during the height of the AIDS epidemic. New York lawmakers have introduced legislation that would repeal the state’s existing prohibitions. State health regulations adopted in 1985 prohibited adult saunas. New York City relied on those regulations to close the city’s gay bathhouses the following year during the AIDS epidemic.
Despite opposition from some LGBTQ+ advocates and business owners, then-Mayor Ed Koch directed city health inspectors, including some working undercover, to enforce the new regulations. Supporters said declining HIV infection rates and PrEP, a medication that helps prevent HIV transmission, have renewed calls to repeal the restrictions. New York could soon follow Minneapolis, which reversed its own 38-year ban on bathhouses earlier this year, according to state Sen. Erik Bottcher [photo].
Read the full article.
New York lawmakers propose lifting 1985 ban on LGBTQ+ bathhouses gothamist.com/news/new-yor…
— Gothamist (@gothamist.com) August 5, 2026 at 4:08 PM
The post NY Lawmakers May Repeal 1985 Ban On Bathhouses appeared first on Joe.My.God..
