Bathhouse Row back in the spotlight following city call for Hillcrest historical landmarks to honor

“Everybody talks about how gay bars are disappearing all over America,” says Dan Butterman, self-appointed historian of Hillcrest’s history as San Diego’s gay district. “But what’s less discussed is the disappearance of an even more quintessentially gay gathering place and cultural space: the bathhouse. As Yasmin Nair writes in his brilliant essay for the most recent Current Affairs, “Where the Gay Things Are,” gay marriage was hailed as a victory for gays, but it was really a victory for rich gays who wanted to make sure their wealth was legally protected. It’s been just awful for bathhouses, let me tell you. Club San Diego is barely hanging on, and if it goes, that’s it under current city regulations. So when it comes to the city’s call for suggestions about “significant buildings, sites, and structures that memorialize contributions made by members of the LGBTQ+ community,” the narrow path known that is Bathhouse Row is an obvious first choice. Bathhouse culture was an explicit rejection of the sexually repressive mores that shackled so many of us for so long. And yes, one of those shackles was the link between sex and marriage. Bathhouse Row should serve as a solemn reminder that it’s perfectly natural and good to step into a steam room on your lunch break, find a friendly face, and slip off to a cubby for a quick one before you go back to the office. Sometimes, in these days of normalized gayness, I fear we’re in danger of forgetting that.”