Minneapolis considers legalizing adult bathhouses and venues that allow sexual activity

The Minneapolis City Council is preparing to consider legalizing and regulating venues, such as bathhouses, where consenting adults can engage in sexual activity, possibly reversing the city’s 38-year ban.

The ordinances in question would remove “stigmatizing language” and add “new definitions to be inclusive of establishments where sexual activity between consenting adults may be facilitated,” according to The Minnesota Star Tribune. The outlet noted that bathhouses and sex clubs operated in the city until a 1988 ordinance banned businesses that facilitate “high-risk sexual conduct,” which was defined as fellatio, anal intercourse and vaginal intercourse for pay.

The language of the 1988 ordinance was changed in 2023 at the behest of activists with the Safer Sex Spaces Coalition, who argued that it targeted same-sex partnerships and individuals with HIV and AIDS, the Tribune reported. Additionally, the Safer Sex Spaces Coalition argued that the ban discouraged outreach to communities and drove sex-related gatherings to “unsafe and inaccessible spaces.”

“The Minneapolis Health Department and other public health organizations acknowledge this ordinance is no longer the tool needed to promote public health. 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. These spaces also enhance feelings of identity, camaraderie, authenticity, and belonging. They are spaces where people overcome isolation and develop a sense of community and pride,” the coalition said.

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The Safer Sex Spaces Coalition was formed in response to pushes against the 1988 ordinance, according to its website.

One proposed ordinance would add a new chapter to the city code specifically for adult sex venues, according to CBS News. The ordinance would establish licensing and business regulations for businesses that facilitate sexual activity between consenting adults. The outlet reported that a second ordinance would update definitions and standards in the city’s zoning code for sexually oriented uses.

The third ordinance, according to CBS News, would amend provisions in the city’s health and sanitation code related to contagious diseases. Additionally, the fourth ordinance would amend the city’s miscellaneous offenses code to create exceptions for licensed venues that are permitted to facilitate consensual sexual activity between adults.

A spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told Fox News Digital that the mayor is in favor of continuing to explore the issue.

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While LGBTQ+ advocates are pushing for the 1988 ordinance to be reversed, the first openly gay member of the Minneapolis City Council, Brian Coyle, helped pass the law, the Tribune reported. The outlet noted that Coyle said at the time that many members of the LGBTQ+ community supported the ban. Coyle was diagnosed with HIV in 1986 but did not publicly acknowledge it until 1991, the same year that he died of AIDS-related complications at age 47, the Tribune reported.

The last adult bathhouse in Minneapolis, the 315 Health Club, closed in 1988 before the ban was passed, according to the Tribune, which said the club closed its so-called “orgy rooms” two years before shutting its doors. Additionally, prior to its closure, the club handed out free condoms and information on AIDS prevention, according to the outlet.

Minneapolis City Council President Elliott Payne said that the plan to regulate bathhouses would be modeled after San Francisco, which has placed extensive regulations focused on safety and public health, such as requirements for condoms, staff training and more, the Tribune reported.