This paper will tell the story of advocacy that led to a better alignment of city regulations with contemporary scientific and community practices, and argue that, when properly operated, bathhouses assist, rather than impede, efforts to control the transmission of HIV, as well as other STIs. In 2020, this new understanding of HIV transmission-aided by pointed advocacy and community engagement-finally opened the door for bathhouses to return when Supervisor Raphael Mandelman introduced a measure to lift the ban that the city’s Board of Supervisors ultimately approved. Given PrEP and a deeper understanding of the mechanics of transmission, society can now take proactive steps to arrest the spread of the virus. These closures illustrate a fear-based reaction that resulted from a limited knowledge of HIV. In 1984, San Francisco effectively shut down gay bathhouses in a desperate attempt to curb HIV transmission, assuming that these venues create what is presently referred to as “super spreader events.” Despite changes in the global understanding of HIV and scientific advances in medication, these cultural centers remained effectively banned for over 36 years.
