The Minneapolis City Council voted 9-2 on Thursday with one abstaining to repeal the longstanding ban on adult bathhouses and businesses where people can have sex in the city. The vote comes after work from advocates, city staff and council members who say the ban is rooted in homophobia.
The final step to repeal the ban is a signature from Mayor Jacob Frey, who previously told MPR News he supports the repeal.
Adult bathhouses are community spaces that were historically frequented by gay men in the 1970s and ‘80s where people could engage in sexual activity or relax after going out to bars. They were banned in Minneapolis in 1988 during the AIDS epidemic.
Council members LaTrisha Vetaw, Linea Palmisano and Michael Rainville joined the six co-authors in voting to repeal the ban. Council member Jamison Whiting, who previously voiced his support for repealing the ban, was absent and council member Jamal Osman abstained.
Council member Jason Chavez, the only out LGBTQ+ member of the council, was a co-author for the pair of ordinances to repeal the ban and worked with the Safer Sex Spaces Coalition, an organization dedicated to overturning the ban.
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