Reviews

Occasioned by the controversial opening of a new bathhouse in 1995 in New York City, this intentionally provocative anthology was "conceived as an introduction to the patterns and strategies structuring current debates around public sex." The 20 extremely readable essays question assumptions, critique the status quo, and battle conservatism within and without the "queer community." The authors‘ranging from artists and journalists to university professors and sex workers‘offer a fascinating historical perspective on how the state has policed deviant sexual behaviors and identities; promote sex-positive HIV prevention strategies; and posit new working definitions of public sex, AIDS activists, and queer politics. Compiled by an editorial collective of academics cum activists, this thoughtful and thought-provoking collection is highly recommended for academic and public gay studies collections.‘James E. Van Buskirk, San Francisco P.L.