June-July 2022 Issue #27 B4Y | Page 104

It might not end up being your thing . But keep a spirit of adventure and don ’ t put down the patrons that enjoy the dwindling bathhouse scene . Bathhouses are just bathhouses , nothing more or less . They were once a staple of gay life , and now they are scarce relics of a cruise culture that is rapidly disappearing . The most written-about gay bathhouse was the infamous Everard Baths in New York , which closed in 1985 .
Some say bathhouses have been replaced by hookup apps like Grindr and Scruff . Others say that today ’ s queer public milieu of marriage equality and family life has shifted tolerance and publicity away from the hypersexual side of gay life , stamping out venues that cater to gay sex in the process . While both claims hint at the truth , the latter is more of a politically charged publicity stunt than a true change of gay behavior . Visit the annual Black Party in New York if you think gay life has gone tame .

It might not end up being your thing . But keep a spirit of adventure and don ’ t put down the patrons that enjoy the dwindling bathhouse scene . Bathhouses are just bathhouses , nothing more or less . They were once a staple of gay life , and now they are scarce relics of a cruise culture that is rapidly disappearing . The most written-about gay bathhouse was the infamous Everard Baths in New York , which closed in 1985 .

Some say bathhouses have been replaced by hookup apps like Grindr and Scruff . Others say that today ’ s queer public milieu of marriage equality and family life has shifted tolerance and publicity away from the hypersexual side of gay life , stamping out venues that cater to gay sex in the process . While both claims hint at the truth , the latter is more of a politically charged publicity stunt than a true change of gay behavior . Visit the annual Black Party in New York if you think gay life has gone tame .

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