NY lawmakers introduce bill to repeal 1985 bathhouse ban

Two New York state lawmakers have introduced legislation to repeal a 1985 ban on adult bathhouses and saunas, a law enacted at the height of the AIDS epidemic that was used to shutter gay bathhouses across New York City. State Senator Erik Bottcher and Assemblymember Tony Simone, both Democrats representing Manhattan, proposed the Public Health Modernization Act this week, arguing the decades-old prohibition is outdated and counterproductive to modern public health goals.

The existing law declares any establishment that makes facilities available for sexual activities involving anal intercourse, vaginal intercourse, or fellatio a threat to public health. Bottcher and Simone contend that advances in HIV prevention and treatment, including widespread testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), have rendered the blanket ban obsolete. They say the law pushes activity into unregulated, underground settings, increasing health risks.

"It's 2026, not 1986," Simone said in a statement. "Evidence-based practices informed by the past 30 years of public health research make it clear we should repeal the ban on adult-use bathhouses and saunas." Bottcher echoed that sentiment, stating,...