The Minneapolis board agreed on a proposal to repeal the ban on commercial sex venues — like bathhouses — on Thursday, just days before the Twin Cities Pride Festival.
The nine members who voted for the proposal are all Democrats, but some are affiliated with the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
Democrat Elizabeth Shaffer, one of the two dissenters, said she had decided to vote against the policy after hearing concerns from her constituents, and added that since the city is expecting a budget shortfall, “I don’t think this is a top priority for expanding city services.”
The bathhouses were banned in Minneapolis in 1988 during the height of the AIDS epidemic because of the link between homosexual activity and the spread of the virus.
The advocacy group Action Network, which was one of the major organizations that pushed for lifting the bathhouse ban, said that the ban actually inhibited public health because it “has driven sexually-related gatherings underground, often to unsafe and inaccessible spaces.”
“Social science research tells us that commercial sex spaces, like gay saunas, are important for promoting safer sex practices, enhancing HIV prevention, and increasing access to testing and treatment,” the Action network added. “These spaces also enhance feelings of identity, camaraderie, authenticity, and belonging.”
Socialist council member Jason Chavez, who co-authored the repeal, said that he knows “as the only out LGBTQ+ person on this council” that the ban was mired in “homophobia.”
“I know what it has meant for so many in our community to have no one in this chamber who could look at this ban and say, ‘I know what it cost us.’” Chavez said. “I know who this ban was aimed at, and I know that the hate that came with this ban was wrong and still is … Bathhouse restrictions have a history that is intertwined with anti-2SLGBTQIA bigotry, in particular, the history of homophobia in Minneapolis.”
This repeal of the bathhouse ban follows the “Pride in Policy” package Minneapolis has passed to show support of its LGBTQ residents. This package includes updating city codes with more “gender inclusive” language and “a study on how to expand all-gender restrooms across the city,” ABC News reports. Additionally, Minneapolis is updating its public indecency laws to be more LGBTQ-inclusive.
The Council must follow up this repeal on bathhouses to lay down zoning and safety regulations. Other Minnesota cities like Duluth and St. Paul already allow commercial sex venues on varying levels of oversight.
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