Petrelis Files

October 2004 marks the twentieth anniversary of former San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein to shutter gay bathhouses here.

As far as I know, San Francisco was the only U.S. city to outlaw bathhouses for gay men.

In my opinion, it's time to reopen gay bathhouses here and allow adult men the right to sexual privacy in commercial venues, by providing private rooms with doors.

After all, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year invalidating state prohibitions on consensual sodomy should permit gay men in San Francisco the right to engage in such sexual activity in bathhouses, without the prying eyes of the "nanny state" watching.

Let's end the practice of allowing the sex police to monitor gay sex clubs and reopen San Francisco's bathhouses.

Two thumbs up to the Canadian lawyer quoted in this story saying the (gay) public deserves the right to be left alone in Canadian bathhouses; an idea that should spread to San Francisco.

Michael Petrelis
^^^^^^^^^


Thu, May 27, 2004
Judge rules police OK to raid gay bathhouse
By KEVIN MARTIN, CALGARY SUN

Cops did nothing wrong when they raided a gay bathhouse, a judge ruled yesterday in admitting evidence police found at the scene. Provincial court Judge Terry Semenuk agreed with Crown prosecutor Dave Torske that police had a reasonable suspicion to conduct their investigation.

Defence lawyer John Bascom had sought to have evidence gathered by police during a December 2002, raid of Goliath's excluded.

Bascom said police acted on anonymous tips and had no credible information any criminal activity was taking place at the 17 Ave. S.W. business.

"Members of the public have a right to be left alone," Bascom said during his submissions last month.

He said police should have used more sensitivity in pursuing an investigation at a gay bathhouse and should have called in the force's liaison officer with the gay community.

But, Semenuk agreed with Torske, who submitted police often act on anonymous tips such as through Crime Stoppers.

Three men are charged with keeping a common bawdy house while a fourth is charged with owning, or permitting a common bawdy house.