Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1985. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The New York Times - November 10, 1985
Alan Finder and Albert Scardino
In a hearing scheduled for Tuesday, the city will ask that the bar be closed for a year for violating the new health regulations, which authorize local governments to close bathhouses, bars and other establishment where "high-risk" sexual activity is condoned. Officials said the Mine Shaft also did not have a liquor license and had won status as a not-for-profit corporation, making it exempt from most state corporation taxes.
Richard Dunne, executive director of the Gay Men's Health Crisis, called the Mine Shaft a "notorious and well-known place," but he also said that its closing would not alter sexual behavior or affect the spread of AIDS, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome. "You don't get AIDS from buildings; you get AIDS from a virus that is transmitted sexually," Mr. Dunne said. "The only thing that is going to stop it is education and the adoption of behavior changes."
Another critic of the new regulations, Thomas B. Stoddard, legislative director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said Governor Cuomo and Mayor Koch had "taken us down a slippery slope that may lead to recriminalization of private sexual conduct in general."
Mr. Koch said city inspections would continue, adding that he had sent letters to 10 other establishments, asking them to report by Thursday on what steps they have taken to prevent "dangerous" sex on their premises. The Mayor defended the new approach by saying the city was trying to save lives, not to regulate sexuality.
851110
NYT851124
Copyright © 1985 - The New York Times Company. All Rights Reserved. All New York Times articles contained on the AEGiS web site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of The New York Times Company. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. However, you may download articles (one machine readable copy and one print copy per page) for your personal, noncommercial use only.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1985. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 1985. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .