May 2, 2008

HIV Official Won’t Reopen San Francisco Bathhouses

At a recent community meeting in San Francisco, the city’s new HIV prevention director said he is not prepared to support ending a decades-long ban on city bathhouses, according to the Bay Area Reporter (ebar.com, 4/24).

During the meeting, held April 23, Dr. Grant Colfax, director of HIV prevention at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, said it would be “very difficult to justify re-opening the baths,” citing data showing that men engage in risky sexual behaviors in bathhouses.
 
According to the article, Ken Pearce, a member of San Francisco’s HIV Prevention Planning Council, raised the bathhouse issue during the meeting, saying he believes the policy was practical in the ‘80s, but not today.

“Why can't we have a discussion on whether this makes sense to continue to ban bathhouses?” asked Pearce. “We know people are going outside the city when they want to go to the baths.”

According to Pearce, city bathhouses would provide another outlet for reaching customers directly with HIV-prevention resources.

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Previous Comments:

Carlos, San Francisco, 2008-05-14 18:27:10
After two decades of closure I feel we in San Francisco are ready to reopen bathhouses. It's the behavior, not the setting, that promotes HIV transmission. Risky behavior can happen at EROS, Blow Buddies, and other "private clubs" as well as in the home. We have twenty + years of education and commnication under our belt, and it's time to practice what we have collectively learned.

David, Pensacola, Fl, 2008-05-07 21:48:43
Banning bathhouses is akin to prohibition of alcohol in the 20's. IT DOESN'T WORK!! There aren't any bath's here in the "Redneck Riveria" where my huz of 10 years and I live. When we want to be PIGS we load up the pickup and head to NAWLINS for some fun. It's a choice, and yeah we bareback there along with everyone else. Guys are gonna do what they want no matter what social rules you impose on them. Get over it!

Marcos, Seattle, 2008-05-06 12:33:40
Seatle still has bathhouses. Should they be shut down?

Kevin, Phoenix, 2008-05-05 12:25:17
I've heard both sides of the arguments (bathhouses provide a private place for consenting adults to have sex and be educated on safe sex versus bathhouses facilitate the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV). After seeing the spike in STD's in poz men and the spike in new HIV cases (mostly due to internet hookups), are bathhouses even still needed? Obviously no one is paying any attention to safe sex education anymore regardless of where and how they get laid.

ROB, Seattle, 2008-05-04 05:56:48
What a bunch of crap. Everyone knows that no nearly one plays safe in a bathhouse no matter how many condoms they give out. Bottom line - why should we enable the behavior?