Petrelis Files

SF Bulldog Baths Reopens As a . . .

The San Francisco DPH and the FDA each maintain a pernicious ban against gay men enacted at the height of AIDS alarmism in the early 1980s, ban in need of eradication.

Gay bathhouses are banned in San Francisco because DPH rules require all sexual activities in commercial venues must be visible to safety monitors, so cubicles with doors are prohibited.

For the FDA, recent tweaking of the regulations barring gays from ever donating blood allows gays to give blood as long as they've not had sex with another male for 12-months.

Essentially the SF DPH and FDA promulgate public policies based on severe distrust of gay men.

But I write today about the December soft opening of the Bulldog Baths at 132 Turk Street in the Tenderloin - a dog resort. (Are those canines practicing safe sex? Hehe.)

Visit the Bulldog Baths site to learn about their full range of doggie-daycare and other services for your pooch, and an overview of the building's history as a former gay bathhouse and the area's queer history including the Compton Cafeteria Riots.

Word on the very gritty street is that the first floor is for dog services and the upper two floors are in the process of being converted into residential housing units. Best of luck to the Bulldog Baths' owners.

I wish the City would not only allow gay bathhouses to reopen not only for sexual liaisons just during evening hours, but then also operate in the daytime as a public bathhouse for the homeless to shower and rest.

We're more likely to see the FDA lift its ban on gay blood donations before a gay and/or homeless bathhouse opens for business in San Francisco.

 Entrance to the Bulldog Baths with a rainbow flag flying over the doorway, plenty of signage and surveillance cameras.

 Anyone know how a large silver Airstream trailer was placed on top of the building? It's only visible if you are on the other side of the street, a few stores up from Aunt Charlie's bar.

The plaque marking the building are listed in the National Register of Historical Places still adorns the facade of 130-132 Turk Street.

Colorful signage reading "Playful" and "Enriching", terms I associate with gay bathhouses is well-hung off the fire escapes with a couple of rainbow flags blowing in the wind.