I have many friends who did not make it through the 80’s because of that cursed disease. I am not saying that places like the Mineshaft and others were innocent when it came to the spread of AIDS. But in reality they played a very small part of the overall problem which was the lack of information, education, and research. The city closed these establishments and still men gay men persisted having unprotected sex. Once one club was closed they moved to one that was still open, after the clubs were gone they went to the porn theatres, and after the porn theatres they went to Central Park, back to the bars and by then the internet came into play If half the time, money and effort that NYC spent on closing these spots went to Health Education and planning with the gay community the stigma of gay sex would have been much different. Marks Baths, The Adonis, The David and other X-rated theatres and venues responsible for AIDS? No, not really. Were establishments like The Mineshaft, The St. The Mineshaft was closed by the New York City Department of Health on November 7, 1985 But it was also the chance that NYC needed to rid the city of sex establishments.
NYC swept through the gay sex haunts of the community shuttering establishments left and right under ‘health violations” which in reality they were. In the early 80s with the outbreak of AIDS the Mineshaft scene turned sour. In the gay life in NYC in the late 70’s and early 80’s it was non-news. In this day and age to many it’s shocking. But there were glimpses of romance at the Mineshaft: in the basement two stoned men are kissing passionately under black light.unaware of everyone around them, while feet away another man was blindfolded sitting in a sling while a group of men took turns fucking him. A room where there was a bathtub in which men so inclined would would take turns being pissed on.
There was an entire wall of glory holes with people kneeling in front of crotch-high holes and servicing disembodied erections.Ī whole rabbit warren of small rooms was downstairs, a re-creation of a jailcell, the back of a truck, dungeons and the most infamous room talked about in NYC at the time. Behind a partition was the “action” part of the club on two floors.
Just inside the door was the big bar area with its low lights and pool tables. The Mineshaft existed for one reason and one reasons alone. Thee Mineshaft had rules of entrance, denim and leather only, no shirts with little alligators, no sneakers, and absolutely no cologne. But once inside everything was fair game. If you could pass muster you were let in. Upon arrival the Miineshaft’s nondescript street-level door opened to a stairway which led up to the doorkeeper, sitting on a barstool.