San Francisco has repealed its de facto ban on gay bathhouses. The ban was introduced during the 1980s, at the height at the AIDS epidemic.
The regulations banned private rooms with locked doors and employees had to monitor sex between patrons. The lone gay bathhouse in the city currently remains closed because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The repal comes following a campaign from Rafael Mandelman, the supervisor of District 8, which includes parts of the city like The Castro, Diamond Heights and Eureka Valley.
The decision was confirmed to Mandelman’s office last week, after being delayed from the start of the month, as some employees were on vacation, while others were dealing with a rising number of coronavirus cases and