Local
Leather scene active despite Eagle limbo
Local bar had been an active participant in the annual MAL event
(Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Leather enthusiasts from the LGBT community in the D.C.-Baltimore area are expected to turn out in force for the 2015 Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend events this weekend.
Due to delays in its reopening, the D.C. Eagle, the popular gay leather bar that has been in business more than 30 years and has been an active participant in the annual MAL event, is not listed as a venue in any of the official events this year.
But according to postings on the D.C. Eagle’s Twitter page, the club expects to reopen soon at its new location at 3701 Benning Rd., N.E. The Eagle closed last year after being displaced from its home of many years at 639 New York Ave., N.W., due to the planned construction of a new office building.
According to leather scene observers, the Eagle’s Twitter page description of itself most likely defines many of those who participate in that scene: “Bar for D.C.’s rough, gruff, tough, hairy, pierced, tattooed, cigar-smoking, leather-clad, bear-ish, colored handkerchief-wearing men.”
Mark Clark, an official with the Chesapeake Bay Bears, whose members live in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, said the leather scene is often used as an umbrella term to include organizations and individuals associated with the gay male “bear” scene for hairy, heavy-set men and those who like them; as well as the bondage, S&M, kink-fetish scene.
Brother Help Thyself, a D.C.-based charitable organization founded in 1978 by four gay motorcycle clubs associated with the D.C. Eagle, includes representatives of some of the area’s most popular leather scene organizations on its board of directors. Among them are the Atlantic States Rodeo Association; the Centaurs, Defenders and Spartans gay motorcycle clubs; the Chesapeake Bay and D.C. Bear clubs; and SigmaDC, which describes itself as an all-male private membership organization for bondage-S&M-kink enthusiasts.
SigmaDC, which was founded in 1984, recently moved into a second-floor space at 1636 R St., N.W., across the street from the 17th Street gay bar Cobalt. It is hosting at least three events associated with Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend, including a demo event at the Hyatt Regency on Saturday afternoon.
Another local organization founded by gay event organizer Jacob Pring called CODE holds monthly parties and events for what the group says are “gear, rubber, skin, uniform and leather” enthusiasts. CODE holds monthly events at the Glorious Health Club and Art Gallery at 2120 West Virginia Ave., N.E.
The group was scheduled to hold events associated with Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend at Glorious Health Club on tonight (Friday) and Saturday.
“All of these different groups started out as leather groups but sort of morphed into a broader thing,” said Clark, who noted that many of them work with Brother Help Thyself to raise money to support LGBT and AIDS organizations.
The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected].
The Comings & Goings column also invites LGBTQ college students to share their successes with us. If you have been elected to a student government position, gotten an exciting internship, or are graduating and beginning your career with a great job, let us know so we can share your success.
Congratulations to Yadiel Meléndez, on their new role as Community Associate, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Meléndez is piloting a new role as a Community Associate at the Wanda Alston Foundation, where they support queer and trans young people in finding their footing, building independence, and experiencing a housing community where they are seen, valued, and affirmed. They are coming into this role with more than a decade of experience as a community organizer and operations specialist, supporting diverse communities through service, advocacy, and program coordination.
Previously they worked for Right Proper Brewing Shaw as a server and bartender and at Sephora, Washington, DC, and at FreshFarm, DC, in bilingual food access. They also worked freelance to build foundational structures for local queer BIPOC performance art coalitions, producing variety shows to curate space for marginalized performance artists in the community. They were a production manager for Haus of Hart Productions, a BIPOC centric performance art production. They also worked as field staff with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in Stafford, Va.
Meléndez is bilingual, Spanish and English. Their work is guided by a commitment to dignity, safety, and trauma-informed engagement, particularly within LGBTQ and BIPOC communities.
Congratulations also to Ben Rosen LICSW, on his new role as program director, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Rosen previously worked with Fountain House’s OnRamps program, helping to build a new, innovative outreach program for individuals considered chronically homeless, and living with serious mental illness, in the Times Square area of New York. Rosen is a Psychotherapist, having worked with SG Psychotherapy, and as the psychotherapist with the Nest Community Health Center (URAM).
Rosen has a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts: Musical Theatre, Minor in Psychology (Cum Laude) from Malloy University Conservatory; and his M.S.W. in Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups, from The Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, N.Y. He is independently licensed in New York and Washington, D.C.
Rehoboth Beach
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
Attendees encouraged to wear appropriate gear
Diego’s in Rehoboth Beach hosts a monthly leather happy hour. April’s edition is scheduled for Friday, April 10, 5-7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate gear. The event is billed as an official event of BLUF, the free community group for men interested in leather. After happy hour, the attendees are encouraged to reconvene at Local Bootlegging Company for dinner, which allows cigar smoking. There’s no cover charge for either event.
District of Columbia
Celebrations of life planned for Sean Bartel
Two memorial events scheduled in D.C.
Two celebrations of life are planned for Sean Christopher Bartel, 48, who was found deceased on a hiking trail in Argentina on or around March 15. Bartel began his career as a television news reporter and news anchor at stations in Louisville, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before serving as Senior Video Producer for the D.C.-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union from 2013 to 2024.
A memorial gathering is planned for Friday, April 10, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the IBEW International Office (900 7th St., N.W.), according to a statement by the DC Gay Flag Football League, where Bartel was a longtime member. A celebration of life is planned that same evening, 6-8 p.m. at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.).
Minimal version of ‘Streetcar Named Desire’ heading to Dupont Underground
Comings & Goings
An effort to increase the number of psychiatrists of color
Calendar: April 10-16
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
Police mental health struggles gain growing attention
Man faces first S.C. ‘hate intimidation’ charge
Trump budget would codify expanded global gag rule
Cuba under pressure and without answers
