Peter LaBarbera Leads Peaceful Vigil Outside Bathhouse in Boystown

As the culmination of its “Love & Truth” campaign in opposition to the “Gay Games,” Illinois Family Institute is leading a peaceful vigil outside a homosexual bathhouse in Chicago’s Boystown, urging men not to go in and degrade themselves by engaging in anonymous and dangerous gay sex.

The vigil will begin with a media availability tonight (Saturday) at 3246 Halsted St., at 5:00, directly in front of Steamworks, which calls itself a “gym” but is actually a sex club (bathhouse) where men go for anonymous sex with other men. Speaking will be two former homosexuals, James Hartline (who contracted HIV at a bathhouse) and Greg Quinlan; and Dr. John Diggs, addressing the health risks of homosexual behavior.

Steamworks and another gay bathhouse, Man’s Country, were official sponsors of the Gay Games.

Following the media appearance there will be a night-long peaceful informational outreach in front of Steamworks. Pro-healthy-life volunteers will be passing out Christian tracts containing the story of former homosexual Steve Bennett, and a flier alerting men to the dangers of homosexual practices.

“We care about gay men enough to tell them to stop practicing degrading and potentially lethal behavior,” said Peter LaBarbera, Executive Director of Illinois Family Institute.

“Steamworks is a perversion center where men go to have anonymous sex with other men. Many of these men are publicly ‘gay’ but others are not. Some are married or also have sex with women, thus putting their female partners at great risk,” he said.

Steamworks passes out condoms, but Hartline, who lived for decades as a “gay” man, says that many homosexuals do not use condoms at such sex clubs. Similar bathhouses, where men can rent private rooms for liaisons behind closed doors, have been closed down in San Francisco and other cities.

“We urge Mayor Richard M. Daley and city leaders to shut down Steamworks and the other sex clubs in Chicago as a public health hazard–to protect men (and unsuspecting female partners) from the ravages of reckless sexual encounters,” LaBarbera said.

On a recent FOX-TV debate, LaBarbera urged homosexual activist Rick Garcia to join with him and support IFI’s call for the closure of Steamworks and other gay sex clubs that facilitate dangerous promiscuity. Garcia scoffed at the idea.