Silverman's investigators recently returned to the 14 public facilities and confirmed that unsafe sexual activity was continuing. Some militant homosexual leaders have said closure talk was a form of discrimination against gays, or an attack on gay rights.Īuthorities earlier this year yielded to pressure from the gay community, one of the largest in the United States, not to close the clubs. 'These 14 establishments are not fostering gay liberation. 'Make no mistake about it,' Silverman said at a news conference. Silverman said he reached the decision to close the baths and clubs because of new evidence that AIDS - Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome - is transmitted among gays through sexual intercourse. It was determined those facilities did not actively encourage widespread sexual activity among patrons, authorities said.ĭirector of Public Health Dr.
The city has 30 gay bathhouses, but 16 passed city inspections.