Blatino Erotica Awards
The Blatino Erotica Awards are given to recognize gay men of color who have distinguished themselves in adult entertainment.
History and Conception
The Blatino Erotica Awards began in 2007, as part of Blatino Oasis at Palm Springs, California, a “vacation getaway” for gay and bisexual men of color. The sixth and most recent award ceremony occurred in May, 2012. The Award’s intention is, in the words of its organizers, to “recognize the often overlooked contributions of men of African or Latino descent who either work in the adult entertainment industry or ... whose work ... is classified as [...] or sexy in nature.” The creator of the Blatino Erotica Awards is Joe Hawkins, a well-known black gay activist. In 1989, he was the first openly gay man of color to appear on a national television show, namely, The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Blatino Erotica Awards vs. FlavaMen Blatino Awards
The Blatino Erotica Awards must not be confused with the FlavaMen Blatino Awards, which were created in 2009 and are connected with Flava Works. There has been some controversy over the closeness of the two names.
Recipients
The awardees so far have included such well-known [...] stars as Tiger Tyson (2007), Marc Williams (2008), Bobby Blake (2009), Ty Lattimore (2010), Diesel Washington (2011), and Randy Cochran (2012).