Overview
- The Minneapolis City Council voted 9-2 to remove the 1988 prohibition and Mayor Jacob Frey signed the repeal on Sunday, clearing the legal barrier to regulated adult bathhouses returning to the city.
- The repeal does not allow immediate reopenings because it directs city staff to draft detailed zoning, licensing and health regulations that will go through public hearings and further council votes.
- Supporters framed the change as correcting an AIDS-era policy rooted in stigma and said regulated venues could offer harm-reduction services such as testing, condoms and trained staff to protect public health.
- Some council members and residents raised safety and neighborhood-priority concerns; the recorded council vote included two opposed, one abstention and one absence, reflecting local division.
- Coverage of the decision split along ideological lines, with LGBTQ and left-leaning outlets highlighting rights and public-health aims while right-leaning outlets emphasized historical health risks and community objections.