County Starts Inspecting Bathhouses to Bar Sex

County health inspectors started making the rounds of Los Angeles’s gay bathhouses on Thursday, following through on a pledge to immediately begin enforcement of stringent new regulations that prohibit practically all forms of sexual contact at the clubs.

Dr. Caswell Evans, director of public health programs and services, said investigators will thoroughly inspect the 12 bathhouses and explain the new regulations to the owners during the next several days. Officials will also formally alert the operators to the new rules by mail.

Those who do not comply will be threatened with closure, Evans said. “We are prepared to take action on any positive findings we have and will do whatever is necessary,” he added.

The guidelines passed by the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday prohibit anal intercourse and oral copulation at the bathhouses, even if a condom is used. Club owners are also prohibited from allowing more than one person in a private room at one time.

The owners were still mulling the effect of the new restrictions on Thursday. Barrett S. Litt, an attorney who represents several clubs, said he will legally challenge any effort to close the baths. He could not say whether any of the owners will abide by the new rules.

“It’s obvious from what they’ve done that the county is trying to close down the baths and that they are trying to define any activity as sex, no matter what it is,” Litt said. “And it’s also obvious that that issue will have to be resolved.”

County officials contend that the new regulations are necessary to combat AIDS because the bathhouses, which cater to homosexual and bisexual men, are a “magnet” for high-risk sex. Supervisor Michael Antonovich contends that the bathhouse owners profit from “blood money.”

But Scott D.R. Goulet of the Hollywood Spa questioned the logic of the regulations, saying that closure of the clubs’ private rooms will encourage people to engage in group sex. Goulet also vowed to take the county to court if officials try to run him out of business.

“I’m not shutting down,” he said. “I have to be here. My customers need this haven.”

Doug Myers of Mac’s Bath Club in Silver Lake said he has also consulted with an attorney and is awaiting the county’s next move. He added, however, that it may be possible for the bathhouse operators to conform with the new regulations. “A lot of people don’t believe it, but there are those who come here just to socialize,” Myers said. “It’s not all sex.”

At least one bathhouse supporter came out in favor of the regulations on Thursday. Morris Kight, one of the first gay activists in Los Angeles, said he believes that the new guidelines made sense. “It’s a fine compromise,” Kight said. “I hope the owners cooperate fully.”