The Minneapolis City Council is considering legalizing venues that allow “sexual activity between consenting adults,” including bathhouses.

Bathhouses and sex clubs were staples of nightlife across the U.S., particularly among gay men, until the mid-1980s, when the AIDS crisis led to local laws that forced them to shut down.

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A 1988 Minneapolis ordinance supported by Brian Coyle, the city’s first out gay city council member, banned businesses that facilitate “high-risk sexual conduct.” The city’s last adult bathhouse closed before the ordinance was passed, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

But a package of proposed ordinances set to be discussed this week would allow such businesses to operate in Minneapolis for the first time in decades.

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The four ordinances were authored by Minneapolis City Council President Elliott Payne and Council Members Jason Chavez and Soren Stevenson at the urging of the Safer Sex Space Coalition. The coalition – which formed in 2023 and successfully lobbied for the removal of language in the 1988 ordinance that it said targeted LGBTQ+ people and those living with HIV – says the ban on adult sex venues has driven sex gatherings underground, making them less safe and making outreach to at-risk communities harder. The ordinances were first introduced two weeks ago, according to local ABC affiliate KSTP.

The items proposal reportedly seeks to amend regulations for “adult entertainment, where sexual activity between consenting adults may be facilitated”; updating definitions in the city’s zoning code to “eliminate stigmatizing language” and “reflect advances in preventative care”; adding “exceptions for licensed establishments where sexual activity between consenting adults may be facilitated” according to the city’s provisions pertaining to indecent conduct and disorderly houses; and amending the city’s health and sanitation code to include updated guidance “pertaining to venereal diseases and high-risk sexual conduct.”

The City Council was expected to refer the ordinances to staff for more research on Tuesday, but KSTP reports that council members delayed talks on the matter and are now expected to take up the discussion on Thursday.

In a statement, City Council President Payne noted that the proposal “has been shaped by and for the community.”

“These venues are historically LGBTQ+ spaces, with advocacy organizations emphasizing their importance in the community,” Payne said. “What we know about sexual health, STIs/HIV, and public health interventions and advancements is different than 40 years ago. Parties and events that operate as adult sex venues already occur underground and this policy will ensure that they center and prioritize consent, health, and safety.”

Payne noted that other cities have demonstrated that “these venues can be key centers of public health interventions, especially for communities that are often marginalized.”

The Star Tribune cites a 2024 city auditor’s report indicating that six U.S. cities, including Duluth, Minnesota, allow bathhouses to operate and have reported no issues.

In a separate statement, Minneapolis city council member Chavez said that “LGBTQIA+ gathering spaces, including bathhouses, have long been targeted by criminalization and policing.”

“Our communities have paid a devastating price for that,” Chavez said. “That’s why we’re referring this to staff to begin building policy alongside community members and stakeholders.”

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