Last weekend, leather clad members of the LGBTQ community from across the nation braved the snow and cold to venture down Washington’s New Jersey Avenue to visit a select few hotels participating in the capital city’s largest kink event — the Mid-Atlantic Leather weekend. As the snow slowly melted away and the weekend ended, the desire for District residents to get hot in their leather (and other kink attire) remained. 

Zach Renovátes, co-founder of nightlife production company Kinetic Presents and co-owner of gay club Bunker, sat down with the Washington Blade to discuss how his most recent project, District Eagle (1357-B U St., N.W.), is harnessing this pro-kink energy Washington has while also celebrating the vibrant diversity of the city’s kink and queer nightlife communities.

“District Eagle is first and foremost, a space designed specifically for our LGBTQ community to include our trans and lesbian brothers and sisters,” Zach Renovátes told the Blade. “We are excited to bring a new space into D.C. that focuses specifically on our kink communities.” 

The District Eagle embraces its mission to celebrate LGBTQ kink communities. From nods to the history of cruising woven into the bar’s design — like the cheeky “Fruity Candy” machine at the entrance — to the striking details of “100-year-old hand-carved wooden foundry patterns” and “incredible custom upholstery and welding” that bring the theme to life, every element of the space is carefully curated. Kink isn’t just a theme here; it’s the heartbeat of the bar.

“To us, design is foundational and unbelievably important and is what caused this to actually take so long,” Renovátes said. “We’re the only LGBTQ establishment within D.C. that operates as a speakeasy. There’s no external signage. You’re going to have to know where our establishment is to come enjoy it.”

“Its nature plays to an homage to the history of our marginalized community and the ways in which we had to, by necessity, hide our establishments in the past,” he added. “When customers enter our space, I encourage them to look around and see all of the little, tiny details that have gone into creating a space that is entirely unique from any space they’ve ever seen.”

Although the bar may be hidden from the outside, the inside was created with admiration, curiosity, and a deep respect for the kink community.

“We have done outreach to a number of different groups, including the Centaur MC, who we have a close collaboration with for the Mid-Atlantic Leather weekend,” Renovátes said. “As well as members of the pup community, which will see the first [pup] event kicking off on Saturday, Feb. 1, led by Pup Ruby. We are excited to continue collaboration with additional communities and encourage them to reach out to us, either by email or through our social media account.”

Renovátes made it clear that although the District Eagle’s name does remind some of the former DC Eagle, his bar has “no affiliation or history with the ‘DC Eagle’” and “simply pays homage to the international understanding of and what an Eagle concept is.”

That “Eagle concept,” Renovátes explained, was created by using feedback from those knowledgeable, and doesn’t stop at being Washington’s only LGBTQ kink bar. It has a store selling gear for patrons to buy and immediately wear on the dance floor. 

“The District Eagle is the starting point of an idea that we’ve had for a number of years and are excited to bring to fruition,” he said. “We have an adult store now, one of the few adult stores within the District of Columbia, and the only one specifically designed exclusively for our LGBTQ community. It is just the starting point for our grand opening weekend, but we will be continuing to listen to customer feedback and stock new and exciting kink and adult items.”

This mix of gay kink bar and adult store is not just a unique addition to D.C.’s nightlife but also a vital one. 

“It is essential that we as an LGBTQ community continue to support local LGBTQ businesses,” Renovátes said. “It is always unfortunate to see the closure of LGBTQ spaces, because there are so few of them within our city, and so I am filled with hope that this space will provide an additional safe space for an increasingly marginalized community.”

Images of District Eagle’s store posted to its Instagram account showcased harnesses, jockstraps, short shorts, and more. “Grand Opening Weekend is your chance to try on leather, underwear, cock rings, and more,” the caption teased as a substantial number of anticipatory Washington LGBTQ bar fans liked the post.

In addition to the store, the space has another surprise — one that doubles the bar’s capacity from around 116 patrons to 300.

“Our establishment is a single-level establishment. However, we have an agreement with our neighbors upstairs to transform the second floor into ‘Eagle XL’ on select nights, including our grand opening weekend. This allows us to dramatically expand the size of our space, which is extremely useful for recurring events that we plan to introduce, as well as for major weekends, such as the upcoming World Pride weekend.”

Renovátes went on to say how the vision of District Eagle couldn’t have been executed without the help from a few others who helped make Bunker a success. 

“My fiancé Justin was really fundamental to me being able to open this space,” Renovátes said. “He is the technical director at both the District Eagle and Bunker… he’s instrumental in helping to create this. Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to do this.” 

“We are also so fortunate to have had the close collaboration with our designer, Jasin Cadic, who additionally designed Bunker,” he added. “It is within that collaboration that we were able to create such a wholly unique space, not only for D.C., but worldwide.”

“District Eagle will primarily be a no cover establishment,” he said. “We are going to be encouraging customers to start off their night at District Eagle and grab a couple of drinks. We will be introducing a new policy that will allow customers who have met a certain minimum to essentially print out their receipts and use that as a cover into Bunker on non-holiday weekends.”

Renovátes hopes that this may ease some potential struggles when going out to multiple places in one night. 

“In this way, we want to encourage individuals who might be desiring to go to Bunker, but it is not within their budget, as it relates to a cover, to be able to enjoy both establishments and avoid paying a cover at Bunker.”

In addition to the difference in cover charge, Renovátes wants to make it clear that the themed nights at District Eagle are intentionally curated.

“We are designing different nights that have a dress code strongly recommended and we’ll be further encouraging the wearing of dress code for those specific nights through drink specials,” he said. 

With all the varying themes, Renovátes wanted to make it clear that anyone who wishes to celebrate their LGBTQ kink pride should feel comfortable doing so at the District Eagle.

“People of different kink communities that have varying kink levels should all feel comfortable to come see and experience our space, knowing that certain nights will be designed for certain communities. For communities that want to see something specific, we encourage them to reach out to us.”

And although the sexy and alluring vibe of the bar does lay the groundwork for a titillating night, safety and consent are at the top of every staff member’s mind while working at District Eagle. 

“Both safety and consent are of the utmost importance to our establishment,” Renovátes said. “We are training our security personnel to both be extremely responsive and direct with all customer issues. We are providing safe-sex materials, as well as signage on site to inform patrons of our policies and to ensure that our establishment strongly enforces the need for consent.” 

District Eagle, located at 1357-B U St., N.W., will host its grand opening on Wednesday, Jan. 22, from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. The bar will maintain the same hours on Thursday, extend its Friday hours from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m., and open from 2 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Saturday. On Sunday, District Eagle will welcome guests from 2 p.m. to midnight.

We have to admit that, in a week like this one, writing about movies – or, even more so, movie awards – feels a little bit irrelevant.

Even so, the Blade would be remiss if we didn’t report that the nominations for the 16th Annual Dorian Awards have been announced by GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, not just in the name of maintaining normalcy but as a reminder of the importance and influence of the “Q+ eye” within the arts and entertainment sphere. After all, we’ve been leading pop culture as tastemakers ever since there has been a pop culture. And while the Dorian voters’ choices don’t always line up exactly with those of the higher-profile mainstream awards bodies, they reflect a strong counter-cultural perspective that feels ahead of the curve when it comes to singling out underappreciated gems, seemingly predicting – or proclaiming – the trends and topics rising in the public consciousness before the film industry itself seems to catch on.

This year’s crop of nominees especially highlights this “maverick” insight, omitting many of the front-running choices in the annual awards season in favor of niche-y (but timely) “genre” films that are typically disregarded by organizations like the Golden Globes or the Oscars. Indeed, the Dorians’ two most-nominated titles – filmmaker Jane Jane Schoenbrun’s “I Saw the TV Glow” and Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance” – are horror films, reflecting a growing critical appreciation for the genre among a rising younger generation of queer film commentators, as well as within the larger cinephile community itself.

The Dorian Awards — named after the title character in “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” written by queer literary and theater icon Oscar Wilde, in whose honor the awards are named — differ from other awards in that they divide the top film prizes into multiple categories, and further offer separate awards in several of those divisions for mainstream or LGBTQ movies. At the same time, the performance awards are not divided by gender; rather, the prizes are designated for lead and supporting performances, with actors of all genders competing together for a single prize in each category. In addition, there are a number of awards unique to the Dorians, such as Best Genre Film, Best Unsung Film, and Campiest Film.

Leading this year’s nominations with a total of nine is “I Saw the TV Glow,” a surreal, trans-themed horror allegory largely ignored by the other awards groups; with nominations for both Best Film and Best LGBTQ Film, plus nods for Schoenbrun’s direction and screenplay and the performances of stars Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Pain in the Lead and Supporting Performance categories, respectively. In addition, it’s a contender for the Dorians’ “Most Visually Striking” award, which celebrates the overall “look” of a film’s design.

Coming in second with eight nods, darkly satirical body-horror thriller “The Substance” competes as Best, Campiest, Genre, and Most Visually Striking film, with additional nominations including Best Performance (Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, in Lead and Supporting categories, respectively) and nods for its direction and screenplay as well.

Somewhat surprisingly, acclaimed trans mobster musical “Emilia Pérez” was omitted from the Dorians’ Film of the Year category, despite being a front-running contender in other major awards races – though it still claimed six nominations, including LGBTQ Film, Non-English-Language Film, and LGBTQ Non-English Language Film, and Performance nods for breakout transgender star Karla Sofía Gascón and co-star Zoe Saldaña. Also with six nods is “Challengers,” Luca Guadagnino’s bisexual-themed tennis romance, which scored in both the Best Film and LGBTQ Film, among others; “The Brutalist,” director Brady Corbett’s epic saga of a Jewish Holocaust survivor’s rise to success as an architect in post-WWII America, grabbed five, including nods for Best and Most Visually Striking Film, Corbett’s direction, and Adrien Brody’s career-topping lead performance.

Other films with multiple nominations were “Challengers” (five), “Anora,” “Nickel Boys,” and “Wicked” (four each), and “Problemista” and “Queer” (three each). Guadagnino also helmed the latter, an adaptation of William S. Burroughs’ gritty novella about an aging American ex-pat in 1950s Mexico City filmmaker, which scored a Best Lead Performance nom for star Daniel Craig and made the list for both Best LGBTQ Film and LGBTQ Screenplay, but did not earn him a Best Director nomination – though he did make the cut for the “Challengers.”

Other noteworthy titles in GALECA’s awards lineup include the inventive faux-silent slapstick comedy “Hundreds of Beavers” (nominated both as Campiest and Best Unsung Film of the Year); “Sing Sing” (which earned nods for both its star, out queer actor Colman Domingo, and real-life convict turned movie star Clarence Maclin; Robert Eggers’ stylish reimagination of the silent classic “Nosferatu” (riding the pro-horror wave to compete in both Best Genre and Most Visually Striking Film categories); and trans-centric competitors “The People’s Joker,” “National Anthem” (both up for Unsung LGBTQ Film), and “Will & Harper” (Best Documentary and LGBTQ Documentary), all providing a timely counterpoint to the real-world transphobia currently being deployed as a political wedge in American politics.

Of course, alongside all these queer-themed contenders, there are still plenty of competitors also in the running for the remaining high-profile awards – such as “Wicked” and its leading players, “Conclave,” and the aforementioned “Anora” and “Sing Sing.” Any of these nominees could end up winners, too, which is part of what makes the Dorians a singular entity in the annual awards race.

In addition to revealing the Dorian nominees, GALECA also announced that it would donate $1,000 to The Los Angeles Press Club’s emergency relief fund, earmarked for entertainment journalists directly affected by the historically devastating wildfires that have destroyed vast swaths LA and left thousands of residents homeless.

In a statement, GALECA Executive Director John Griffiths said, “Entertainment journalists are an obviously integral part of the Hollywood ecosystem, and we want to make sure they aren’t forgotten in what’s already a very tough environment for those in our profession.” Vice President Diane Anderson-Minshall added, “We applaud our friends at the Press Club and its sister organization the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards for coming to our brethren’s need.” 

Professional journalists whose main livelihood involves entertainment criticism, editing and/or reportage can apply for help at lapressclub.org. Additional donations may be made there as well.

The winners of the 16th Dorian Film Awards – which also include signature special awards for Rising Star, Timeless Star, Film Trailblazer, and the Wilde Artist Award – will be announced on February 13.

GALECA: THE SOCIETY OF LGBTQ ENTERTAINMENT CRITICS

16TH DORIAN FILM AWARDS LIST OF NOMINEES 

FILM OF THE YEAR

Anora (Neon)

Challengers  (Amazon MGM Studios)

I Saw the TV Glow (A24)

Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)

The Substance (Mubi)

LGBTQ FILM OF THE YEAR

Challengers (Amazon MGM Studios)

Emilia Peréz (Netflix)

I Saw the TV Glow (A24)

Love Lies Bleeding (A24)

Queer (A24)

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

Brady Corbet, The Brutalist (A24)

Coralie Fargeat, The Substance (Mubi)

Luca Guadagnino, Challengers (Amazon MGM Studios)

RaMell Ross, Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)

Jane Schoenbrun, I Saw the TV Glow (A24)

SCREENPLAY OF THE YEAR 

— Original or adapted

Anora (Neon)

Challengers (Amazon MGM Studios)

Conclave (Focus Features)

I Saw the TV Glow (A24)

The Substance (Mubi)

LGBTQ SCREENPLAY OF THE YEAR

Challengers (Amazon MGM Studios)

I Saw the TV Glow (A24)

Love Lies Bleeding (A24)

Problemista (A24)

Queer (A24)

NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR

All We Imagine as Light (Sideshow / Janus Films)

Emilia Peréz (Netflix)

Flow (Sideshow / Janus Films)

I’m Still Here (Sony Pictures Classics)

The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Neon)

LGBTQ NON-ENGLISH FILM OF THE YEAR

Crossing (Mubi)

Emilia Peréz (Netflix)

Queendom (Greenwich Entertainment)

Vermiglio (Sideshow / Janus Films)

All Shall Be Well (Strand Releasing) 

UNSUNG FILM OF THE YEAR

—To an exceptional movie worthy of greater attention

Didi (Focus Features)

Hundreds of Beavers (Cineverse, Vinegar Syndrome)

My Old Ass (Amazon MGM Studios)

Problemista (A24)

Thelma (Magnolia)

UNSUNG LGBTQ FILM OF THE YEAR

Femme (Utopia)

My Old Ass (Amazon MGM Studios)

National Anthem (Variance, LD Entertainment)

The People’s Joker (Altered Innocence)

Problemista (A24)

FILM PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

Adrien Brody, The Brutalist (A24)

Daniel Craig, Queer (A24)

Colman Domingo, Sing Sing (A24)

Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Peréz (Netflix) 

Cynthia Erivo, Wicked (Universal)

Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths (Bleecker Street)

Nicole Kidman, Babygirl (A24)

Mikey Madison, Anora (Neon)

Demi Moore, The Substance (Mubi)

Justice Smith, I Saw the TV Glow (A24)

SUPPORTING FILM PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

Michele Austin, Hard Truths (Bleecker Street)

Yura Borisov, Anora (Neon)

Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain (Searchlight Pictures)

Ariana Grande, Wicked (Universal)

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)

Brigette Lundy-Paine, I Saw the TV Glow (A24)

Clarence Maclin, Sing Sing (A24)

Guy Pearce, The Brutalist (A24)

Margaret Qualley, The Substance (Mubi)

Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Peréz (Netflix)

DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR

Dahomey (Mubi)

Daughters (Netflix)

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Netflix)

Sugarcane (National Geographic)

Will & Harper (Netflix)

LGBTQ DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR

Chasing Chasing Amy (Level 33)

Frida (Amazon MGM Studios)

Merchant Ivory (Cohen Media Group)

Queendom (Greenwich Entertainment)

Will & Harper (Netflix)

ANIMATED FILM OF THE YEAR

Flow (Sideshow / Janus Films)

Inside Out 2 (Disney)

Memoir of a Snail (IFC Films)

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Netflix)

The Wild Robot (Universal, DreamWorks)

GENRE FILM OF THE YEAR

For excellence in science fiction, fantasy and horror

Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros.)

I Saw the TV Glow (A24)

Nosferatu (Focus Features)

The Substance (Mubi)

Wicked (Universal)

FILM MUSIC OF THE YEAR

The Brutalist (A24)

Challengers (Amazon MGM Studios)

Emilia Peréz (Netflix)

I Saw the TV Glow (A24)

Wicked (Universal)

VISUALLY STRIKING FILM OF THE YEAR

The Brutalist (A24)

Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros.)

Nosferatu (Focus Features)

Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)

The Substance (Mubi)

CAMPIEST FLICK 

Hundreds of Beavers (Cineverse, Vinegar Syndrome)

Madame Web (Sony)

Megalopolis (Lionsgate)

The Substance (Mubi)

Trap (Warner Bros.)

“WE’RE WILDE ABOUT YOU!” RISING STAR AWARD

Jonathan Bailey

Vera Drew

Karla Sofía Gascón 

Brigette Lundy-Paine

Mikey Madison

Katy O’Brian

Drew Starkey

WILDE ARTIST AWARD

To a truly groundbreaking force in entertainment

Colman Domingo

Luca Guadagnino

Coralie Fargeat

Jane Schoenbrun

Tilda Swinton

GALECA LGBTQIA+ FILM TRAILBLAZER

For creating art that inspires empathy, truth and equity

Vera Drew

Cynthia Erivo

Luca Guadagnino

Jane Schoenbrun

Julio Torres

TIMELESS STAR (Career achievement award)

Honoring an exemplary career marked by character, wisdom and wit

To be announced February 13 with all winners.

Nomination counts per studio:

Altered Innocence – 1 

Amazon/MGM + Orion – 13

A24 – 25

Bleecker Street – 2

Cineverse / Vinegar Syndrome – 2

Cohen Media Group – 1 

Disney – 1

Focus Features – 4

Greenwich Entertainment – 2

IFC – 1 

Level 33 – 1 

Lionsgate – 1

Magnolia – 1 

Mubi – 10

National Geographic – 1

Neon – 5

Netflix – 11

Searchlight -1 

Sideshow / Janus Films – 4 

Sony – 1

Sony Pictures Classics – 1

Strand – 1

Universal  – 5

Utopia – 1

Variance / LD Entertainment – 1 

Warner Bros. – 3 

About GALECA & The Dorian Awards

Formed in 2009, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics honors the best in film, television and Broadway/Off Broadway, mainstream to LGBTQIA+, via the Dorian Awards. A 501 c 6 nonprofit, GALECA serves to remind bigots, bullies and our own beleaguered communities that the world looks to the informed Q+ eye on entertainment. The organization also advocates for better pay, access and respect for its members, especially those in our most underrepresented and vulnerable segments. GALECA’s efforts also include the Crimson Honors, a college film/TV criticism contest for LGBTQ women or nonbinary students of color. 

See our members’ latest reviews, commentary and interviews, along with looks at entertainment’s past, on Bluesky and elsewhere @DorianAwards. GALECA’s YouTube channel features the group’s past Dorians film and TV Toast awards specials, video chats with filmmakers and performers, plus talks with members about their latest books and more. Find out more at GALECA.org.

GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment journalists is a core member of CGEM: Critics Groups for Equality in Media, an alliance of underrepresented entertainment journalists organizations.

‘Hand to God’
Feb. 1-March 2
Keegan Theatre
1742 Church St., N.W.
$49-$59
Keegantheatre.org

Luke Hartwood has loved puppets for as long as he can remember. 

At 24, he’s indulging his passion as puppet designer/coach and properties designer for Keegan Theatre’s production of Robert Askins’ “Hand to God.” It’s the Tony-nominated comedy about meek Jason who after the death of his father finds an outlet for his anxiety at the Christian Puppet Ministry in small town Texas.

Puppets begin as a design team collaboration, Hartwood explains, and move on from there. With “Hand to God,” the playwright’s notes describe Jason’s badly behaved puppet Tyrone as looking “Elmo-y and shit,” but beyond that there’s room for some interpretation. 

Hartwood, who is gay and Asian American, graduated from George Mason University in May 2023. He majored in theater with a double concentration in performance and design/technology, and minored in graphic design. 

“With all my varied interests that’s what made sense to me,” he says. “It wasn’t easy but now I’m a flexible candidate when interviewing for work. I’m skilled in design and the physical fabrication of puppets. And I also act.”

Based in Northern Virginia, he’s been with his partner for six years. Recently, Hartwood shared his thoughts on puppetry and what he wants from the future. 

WASHINGTON BLADE: What’s the attraction to puppets?

LUKE HARTWOOD:  I’ve always loved puppets. It started as a kid watching cartoons, I’d pause the TV get out a sheet of paper and draw a character, usually Pokémon and Digimon. I learned to use shapes, rounded or sharp edges depending if I wanted to make it cute or scary. I moved from 2-D to 3-D using cereal boxes to give dimension to the drawings. Once I carved a character into the wood of my mom’s sideboard. She wasn’t happy.

BLADE: Were puppets your way into theater? 

HARTWOOD: Not exactly. Despite some fear, I started acting when I was a sophomore in high school. I was a shy kid, but I wanted to be in theater. With me, I also brought my love of art and soon began working on props. It wasn’t unusual to see me in costume backstage between scenes building props. 

BLADE: And you continued in college?

HARTWOOD: Mine was the dreaded COVID college experience and the creation of Zoom theater. When we finally came back to live theater, my stage fright returned too. But I got past that and acted in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” [Hartwood was cast as the titular blockhead]. It’s a low-tech show; I did cutouts in the style of Peanuts characters. That was fun. 

BLADE:  With “Hand to God” at Keegan you’re really multitasking. Tell me a little bit about working with actors. 

HARTWOOD:  During casting, the actors were asked to bring a sock to use as a puppet. Not to show expertise but to prove some potential. 

Actor Drew Sharpe plays both Jason and his puppet Tyrone throughout the show; it’s like patting your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time. 

We start with basics. But then we retrain the way an actor thinks about a puppet. Not only is he marking up his script with his own blocking and intentions, but he’s also doing the same thing for his puppet. It’s playing two roles simultaneously. I’m in awe of how quickly Drew has learned and improved over the last few weeks.

BLADE: Does being queer affect your project choices? 

HARTWOOD: I try to incorporate my queerness into theater. For a while I didn’t know how to do that. I’m not writing plays or activist pieces, but I’m selective of what shows I do. I like to dedicate time to shows I care about, particularly those involving the queer and POC communities. Sometimes that means working with a smaller theater and not getting paid as much.

BLADE: Is money a concern? 

HARTWOOD: I recently quit my full-time corporate job as a business analyst at a government contracting company to focus fully on theater. If I’m going to spend 40 hours of my week doing something I better love it. 

I was picturing myself in 10, 20, or 30 years. If I push my artistry now, there’s more time for me to become successful or to get my big break. 

Also, I just graduated from bartending school. That should help pay the bills. 

BLADE: How does “Hand to God” jibe with your professional ethos? 

HARTWOOD: Really well. Though not explicitly written for the queer community or POC, it explores grief, toxic masculinity and what it means to be “man enough.” And that resonates with a lot of queer folks. 

And, I’m definitely here for the puppets