Bound by Leather (2017)

• 67%
• 2017
• Jonathan Darden Reed

Don Bruce opened the DC Eagle nightclub in 1971. Being gay in the 1960s condemned one to a lone, isolating existence. The Eagle was a place for gay men from all backgrounds to find a haven from that repressive outside world. It was a home for those rejected by society (and even their own families). The AIDS epidemic of the 80s grimly made its way through the LGBTQ community, claiming the lives of many. The Leather/Levi community was one of the first to react by teaching prevention. The DC Eagle weathered this time of shrinking patronage and kept its doors open to anyone who need to find fellowship through those dark times. In 1982, Bill Cappello took over the leadership of the DC Eagle and kept its spirit alive to this day, when the club remains that same haven and safe space it was in the 70s, 80s, and 90s.