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Minneapolis Considers Legalizing Regulated Adult Bathhouses

The proposal signals a shift from prohibition to harm reduction rooted in LGBTQ public health.

Overview

  • The City Council has sent a four-part package on adult sex venues, where consenting adults may have sex, to staff and committee review with public hearings to follow.
  • The measures would set up licenses for venues, update zoning terms, revise health and sanitation rules, and add indecency-code exceptions for licensed sites.
  • Sponsors Elliott Payne and Jason Chavez say regulated spaces would center consent and let health teams offer condoms, testing, and vaccinations.
  • A spokesperson for Mayor Jacob Frey said he supports continued study, and a final vote is expected in June after public input.
  • Minneapolis banned bathhouses in 1988 during the AIDS crisis, the last legal club closed that year, and the council removed stigmatizing code language in 2023.