Gay sauna in Luton, UK not extended a license: too close to a mosque

[Martinus]

Gay sauna's bid for sex entertainment licence prompts 'homophobia and hate'

A gay sauna's bid to gain a sex establishment licence provoked a groundswell of "homophobic and hateful" comments, the Herald & Post can exclusively reveal.

Greenhouse Health Club, which has been running for more than 18 years, attempted to gain the licence so that it can sell sex toys and show adult films within its premises on Crawley Road, Luton.

But after more than 430 Bury Park residents signed a petition to counter the proposal the sauna decided to withdraw its application.

One of those who signed the petition claimed that Greenhouse "will bring unpleasant diseases to our communities", while another slammed the owner for having "no shame" and attempting to expand the business with something "so disgusting near and around holy surroundings."

Others labelled the sauna "immoral", "crazy" and "dangerous for our children".

One of the petition's signatories wrote that homosexuality stems from "brain diseases/malfunction" and "incorrect thinking".

The comments have been denounced by LGBT rights charity Stonewall, which told the Herald & Post that the language used is "homophobic and hateful".

A spokesperson said: "These attitudes can be extremely damaging and can alienate and ostracise people.


"We hope that this is something that the local authorities in Luton hope to solve as soon as possible so that all LGBT locals feel able to be themselves and are accepted without exception."

Luton Borough Council says that in addition to the petition, it received 103 objection notices which cited concerns over "cultural sensitivity", the sauna's "proximity to places of worship" and worries "about the number of families with young children living nearby".

Prior to the withdrawal of the application Beds Police told LBC that it had no objections to the proposal and that in the last year just two crimes have been reported at the sauna.

One was a report of theft and the other was of alleged domestic violence.


In a letter PC Esther Read told the council: "We anticipate that they will continue to operate in a professional manner and liase with the police and other responsible authorities when required, as they have in previous years."

One of those who lobbied LBC to reject the application is newly elected police and crime commissioner Kathryn Holloway, who wrote to the council on March 28 after being approached by a member of a "very significant Luton mosque".

Mrs Holloway wrote: "Luton Borough Council is usually particularly aware of matters of cultural sensitivity.

"I trust therefore that you will fully understand that, given the large and devout Muslim population in this area of the borough, there is naturally a high level of religious and cultural opposition to such a business among these residents which needs to be respected, in my view."

The PCC, who said that the application had caused "widespread offence and very deep concern", added her concerns that if Greenhouse was handed the licence "a number of potential policing issues may arise".


Speaking to the Herald & Post, Mrs Holloway asserted that she did not know Greenhouse had been targeted with homophobic comments.

The PCC said: "I would never support any homophobic literature and I had no sight of any such material.

"I agreed to represent residents in Biscot as they felt incredibly strongly about it.

"I would have taken the exact same stance if it had been a heterosexual establishment."

Mrs Holloway added: "I think this is also a win for the wider gay community as this establishment is not representative of them as a whole."

Read more: http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/business/business-news/gay-sauna-s-bid-for-sex-entertainment-licence-prompts-homophobia-and-hate-1-7403295#ixzz4AYMXaUvG

Gotta "love" seeing the hard-won sexual freedoms being rolled back in the name of islamisation of Europe.

[11B4V]

Too bad for the Caliphate of the United Kingdom. 

[Martinus]

Too bad for the Caliphate of the United Kingdom. 

Maybe they should leave the EU after all. At least on the continent the tide is turning rather visibly against this idiocy.

[The Brain]

Incorrect thinking does seem to be a major issue there.

[Martinus]

If I were a gay man in Luton, I would probably seriously consider voting for BNP after this.

[garbon]

Well gay saunas are hotbeds of unpleasant diseases but fortunately you don't have to worry that much if you aren't having sex with gay men.

[garbon]

If I were a gay man in Luton, I would probably seriously consider voting for BNP after this.

Yeah but you are an idiot.

[Sheilbh]

Well gay saunas are hotbeds of unpleasant diseases but fortunately you don't have to worry that much if you aren't having sex with gay men.

Also the saunas still there and presumably licensed

Though saunas are closing down all over the country. Another venerable sex trade killed by the internet.

Yeah but you are an idiot.

Yeah.

[MadImmortalMan]

Seems like a dumb thing to need a license for.

[Sheilbh]

Seems like a dumb thing to need a license for.

To sell sex toys and show porn?

[Martinus]

Seems like a dumb thing to need a license for.

Yeah.

[Valmy]

"I trust therefore that you will fully understand that, given the large and devout Muslim population in this area of the borough, there is naturally a high level of religious and cultural opposition to such a business among these residents which needs to be respected, in my view."

I do not understand the need to be respected here. It is not on the Mosque's property. I presume it would be inside the institution and not visible from the Mosque. So why would the Mosque culture need to be respected for something that has nothing to do with it? 

I mean I presume if you are against sex toys and porn you are probably not attending gay spas in the first place so why would this bother anybody? Why not let the spa do what it likes?

To sell sex toys and show porn?

Are there any other things a store cannot sell if somebody in the area demands they not sell it over there? I mean I presume nobody is entering this spa that is not legally able to view porn and buy sex toys. This sure seems weird to me but hey we have religious nutcases who demand other people do or do not do things that have nothing to do with them as well.

[Sheilbh]

Are there any other things a store cannot sell if somebody in the area demands they not sell it over there? I mean I presume nobody is entering this spa that is not legally able to view porn and buy sex toys. This sure seems weird to me but hey we have religious nutcases who demand other people do or do not do things that have nothing to do with them as well.

Cigarettes, guns, alcohol I'm sure there's others. It's not if people object but they'll have to apply for a license and put up a sign or an ad in the local paper or something similar to see if there are any objections from the neighbours. The decision I think would normally be made by a local government civil servant but if there's enough objections it might get kicked up to the council to vote on.

Given the description, and I could be wrong, I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't also a planning application sort of thing to add to the use of the building. It might have planning permission as a sauna but not as an adult cinema. Ironically in my area of London there's a big campaign to oppose planning application to change the use of a building from a pub/bar to a place of worship. The pubs are already closed but people are still sending out petitions to preserve this valuable community resource and stop it from being turned into a Latino or African Pentecostal Church

There's lots of restrictions on what you can do with your property, especially as a business, basically to protect the property rights of the people around you.

Edit: I'm intrigued do these restrictions not exist at all in the US? Obviously it's not the case here but it would have a big effect on the price of your property if that lovely bakery down the road suddenly sold up and became a sex shop

[Capetan Mihali]

Have these people never heard of hammams??  Not like any gay sex went on in there, no sir.

[MadImmortalMan]

There's lots of restrictions on what you can do with your property, especially as a business, basically to protect the property rights of the people around you.

Far, far too many. It seems to me the primary rights to be protected should be those of the property owner, not the bitchy neighbors.

Besides, this seems overly prudish for a largely secular western european nation anyway. Even in baptist Texas they've got strip clubs next door to elementary schools.