In the Age of AIDS, Sex Clubs Are Back in N.Y.

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1993. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

In the Age of AIDS, Sex Clubs Are Back in N.Y.

Philadelphia Inquirer (05/31/93), P. A1 (Maykuth, Andrew)

Less than a decade after the state of New York passed regulations that threatened to close the remaining sex clubs in New York City, the popularity of such establishments has re -emerged. Because of the threat of AIDS, in 1985, the state classified fellatio and anal intercourse in commercial establishments as "public-health nuisances." But now several dozen sex clubs and bathhouses have made a comeback, causing renewed debate in a city where 200,000 AIDS cases have been reported since the disease was first identified. Most of the sex clubs are little more than designated rooms in bars, theaters, and bookstores, and they cater to both gay and straight customers. Their resurgence has prompted arguments from some politicians who want the clubs closed, and say they are breeding grounds for HIV infection. Although city health officials agree that something must be done about the potential for infection, they believe the very existence of sex clubs shows that their power is limited. Mark Barnes, the city's associate health commissioner for policy, said, "I think the health department sends a very bad message if it knows this kind of unprotected intercourse goes on, when the city and the nation are in the midst of a raging epidemic." Nevertheless, he said that "public health is not about morals or taste or aesthetics. It's really about what transmits disease." City officials and civil libertarians are attempting to develop a strategy to regulate, rather than close, the clubs. Health officials want clubs to hire monitors to prevent patrons from engaging in high-risk behavior, although officials concede that it would be difficult to police sexual activities.

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