Seattle Eagle, or The Eagle, is a
gay bar
A gay bar is a Bar (establishment), drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+) clientele; the term ''gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBTQ+ communi ...
in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
's
Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill is a neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in both the Northeast, Washington, D.C., Northeast and Southeast, Washington, D.C., Southeast quadrants. It is bounded by 14th Street SE & NE, F S ...
neighborhood, in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
.
The
LGBT-owned bar is owned by Keith Christensen, as of 2010,
and caters to the
leather subculture
Leather subculture denotes practices and styles of dress organized around Human sexual activity, sexual activities that involve leather garments, such as leather jackets, vests, boots, chaps, Bondage harness, harnesses, or other items. Wearing le ...
.
Description and history
The Eagle is the city's oldest leather bar and attracts a "young, fairly mixed" crowd. The venue hosted theme nights such as "Underbear", "Vibrator", and "Western", as of 2003.
The original owners of the bar purchased Le Chateau in 1980, and changed the name to J&L Saloon.
The gay bar was one of eleven in Seattle threatened with
ricin
Ricin ( ) is a lectin (a carbohydrate-binding protein) and a highly potent toxin produced in the seeds of the castor oil plant, ''Ricinus communis''. The median lethal dose (LD50) of ricin for mice is around 22 micrograms per kilogram of body ...
in 2009.
In 2010, the bar received a violation for lewd conduct from the
Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board, formerly the Washington State Liquor Control Board, is an administrative agency of the State of Washington. The Liquor and Cannabis Board is part of the executive branch and reports to the governor ...
(WSLCB) for showing a video that contained a man's
erection
An erection (clinically: penile erection or penile tumescence) is a Physiology, physiological phenomenon in which the penis becomes firm, engorged, and enlarged. Penile erection is the result of a complex interaction of psychological, neural, ...
.
[
]Detox Icunt
Deandra Sanderson, better known by the stage name Detox Icunt or simply Detox, is an American drag performer and recording artist. Detox was a fixture of the Southern California drag scene before coming to international attention on the fifth s ...
and Vicky Vox of DWV appeared at the club in 2013. "Dickslap" and the "Make Out Party" are regular events at the Eagle.[
]
Reception
''Seattle Weekly
The ''Seattle Weekly'' is an alternative biweekly distributed newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded by Darrell Oldham and David Brewster as ''The Weekly.'' Its first issue was published on March 31, 1976, and it becam ...
'' included the Eagle in their 2009 list of the city's ten "most intimidating" dive bar
A dive bar is typically a small, unglamorous, eclectic, old-style drinking establishment with inexpensive drinks; it may feature dim lighting, shabby or dated decor, neon beer signs, packaged beer sales, cash-only service, and local clientele. ...
s.
Matt Baume of ''The Stranger'' wrote, "There is nothing stranger than being at the Eagle during daylight hours—somehow it feels like it should be shrouded in perpetual dark, like a Gotham City
Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city in the Northeastern United States that serves as the primary city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his List ...
where Batman
Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
suggestively rubs Burt Ward
Burt Ward (born Bert John Gervis Jr. ; July 6, 1945) is an American actor, animal welfare activist and businessman. He played Dick Grayson's Robin, the sidekick of Batman (played by Adam West), in the television series ''Batman'' (1966–1968) ...
's package in a shadowy corner. It makes a squeaky noise."
See also
* The Eagle (bar)
The Eagle is a name used by multiple gay bars. It is not a Franchising, franchise or Chain store, chain of gay bars, but rather a name adopted by bars inspired by Eagle NYC, The Eagle's Nest, a leather subculture, leather bar in New York City. Ba ...
References
External links
*
{{Coord, 47.61427, -122.32708, display=title
Capitol Hill, Seattle
Leather bars and clubs
LGBTQ drinking establishments in Washington (state)
LGBTQ nightclubs in Seattle
LGBTQ-owned businesses in Washington (state)